Aishiteru
by zoey04
Summary: Duo is blinded on a mission. How does this affect his life and his relationship with Heero? yaoi, so don't read if you don't like. duo pov. please r&r.
1. Prologue

**Yay! New story! I have the entire thing written and finnished so I'll try and update it every night. No garentees, though. I've been informed that I'm grounded for the following week though. Hopefully I'll be able to keep my computer, or I _will_ have a complete mental breakdown... Anyway, this chapter is really short, but I promise the others will be much longer. Please enjoy!**

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Prologue

"Go around to the right! Try and get them to fall back so you can take the control room!" Heero shouted at me over the gunfire.

He cringed back as a bullet took a chunk out of the corner of the wall he was hiding behind. I fired a few shots back with my hand gun, emptying the small magazine. I growled, throwing it to the ground and pulling out my semi-automatic machine gun. I ran down the right hall as instructed by Heero, ducking into any cover I could find.

"Position!" my lover's voice echoed in my ear through the com link.

"Just outside the control room and closing in!" I responded, pressing forward.

"Hold your position and wait for backup!" he commanded.

A bullet streaked by my head and instinctively shrank away from it. I couldn't hold this position. I was too open.

"I'm not covered here! No time to wait! I'm entering now!" I yelled back, reaching the control room and turning the doorknob.

"No Duo don't! There's a trip-"

He was cut off by the sound of the explosion as I opened the door far enough to trigger the trip wire. The entire room exploded in my face. I was blown back a good ten feet and impaled with all sorts of shrapnel, the blast knocking me out before I even hit the floor.

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**Like I said, short... but I promise the others will be longer XD Please review.**


	2. Chapter 1

**So this one is much longer than the last one. Obviously XD Well, I don't have much else to stay... So enjoy!**

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Chapter 1

It sounded like I was in a hospital. Smelt like it too. The tube down my throat, breathing for me, further proved my assumptions. It took me a while to remember what had happened, and even longer to open my eyes. But when I opened my eyes, I couldn't see anything. Everything was so fuzzy, I couldn't make out individual objects. It was just a blur of colors. I convinced myself that it was just because my eyes had been closed for a long time, and that it would go away eventually. I tried to take a deep breath, but the tube down my throat make me choke and my chest seared.

"Duo? He's awake!" Heero shouted from right next to me, stopping my hands as I reached up to pull the tube out of my throat.

I turned to look for him, but could just barely make out his form in the blur. His fingers ran through my bangs, making me shiver. I searched for him in the haze, but could hardly see him. I realized then, that the blindness wasn't going away.

I couldn't tell him about it because of the tube, so I waved my hand in front of my eyes.

"Here," he said, and I felt him putting a board and a marker in my hand.

I fumbled with the cap, then to the best of my abilities, wrote 'can't see' on the white board.

"I know, my love. The doctor said you might have some blindness. Is it black, or just blurry?" he asked me.

'Blurry,' I wrote on the board.

He grabbed my hand to reassure me that he was there. I reached out to feel for his face. I felt all the familiar lines of his face, then the softness of his lips. I wanted so badly to see his beautiful face, but the only thing I could make out in the blur, were fuzzy blotches of cobalt blue where his mesmerizing eyes should've been. I couldn't even make out my own fingers on his face. It was all blurred together.

'Temporary or permanent?' I asked.

"They aren't sure. Your tests were indecisive."

I breathed in deep, but that only caused me to choke on the tube. It was obviously a bad sign that I need the tube to breath for me. If my lungs were strong enough to breath for themselves, my lungs would be trying to reject the tube. I erased the whiteboard with the my sleeve, then quickly scrawled 'other injuries?'

"Dislocated shoulder, torn ACL, concussion, punctured lungs, well... punctured everything really," he answered. "The shrapnel was really bad. The doctors said that you were lucky to even survive it," he added, his voice shaky.

He leaned forward and hugged me tight. I wrapped my arms around his strong body, never wanting him to leave. But when he did pull back, I kept a hand on his firm stomach as reassurance that he was there. I could feel that he was still wearing his dirty combat shirt. I must not have been out for very long. Or I had been and he just hadn't gone home at all. I just barely made out a figure approaching me. It must've been my doctor because he, or she, looked at my eyes, then checked my lungs and bandages.

"Are you feeling any discomfort with that tube, Colonel Maxwell?" he asked me.

I frowned at him, then scrawled 'I have a tube in my throat. Of course I'm uncomfortable'.

"Any trouble breathing?" he rephrased.

I shook my head. Unfortunately, I was breathing just fine with the tube.

"As soon as you start feeling like you are choking, or are struggling to get air, tell me and we will remove the tube," he told me and I nodded.

"How are your eyes? On a scale of one to ten, ten being perfect vision, how well can you see?"

I raised one finger and I could hear him write something on a piece of paper. I felt Heero take a deep breath under my hand and I turned to look at him, well not look, but to face him.

"And what about your pain level?" he asked.

Now that he had mentioned it, I was definitely hurting in my shoulder, my knee, my head...everywhere really. It felt sort of numbed though, probably because they had me on pain meds. But the pain was still present. I drew a seven on the board and felt Heero tense under my hand.

"Well, if you're ready, we'll take you over to the operating room, Mr. Maxwell," the doctor told me, patting my leg.

Operating room?! I fisted my hand in Heero's shirt and wrote a big question mark on the whiteboard.

"We are going to try and see if we can fix your eyes. We need you awake when we do it though, because we are going to be working with the part of your brain where your vision is controlled and we need you to tell us of any changes in your sight," he explained.

"Brain surgery?" Heero asked before I could.

"Yes, sir."

"Is it safe?" he asked and I could just barely hear the concern in his voice.

"Very. We perform this operation all the time. It's pretty much our last option though. This operation can also tell us if this is a temporary or permanent blindness. If it does turn out to be temporary, then we wont mess with it too much for fear of accidentally making it permanent."

'Will you have to cut my hair?' I wrote and I heard Heero chuckle.

"No. We will be dealing with the frontal cortex, so we will just be inserting needles through your forehead," the doctor told me.

I grimaced. That almost sounded worse. Almost. I heard the doctor roll a wheelchair up to the bed and I released my grip on Heero's shirt. My doctor removed my tube from my throat and replaced it with an oxygen mask. Heero helped the doctor get me out of the bed and into the wheelchair. He took my hand as the doctor wheeled me out of the room and down the hall. Once we got down the hall, around the corner, and to the end of the next hall, one of the nurses told Heero that he needed to wait outside.

Inside the room we were now in, the nurses helped me into a chair with restraints on it. A nurse removed my oxygen mask and replaced it with a manual air bag, pumping air into my struggling lungs. They strapped down my wrists and ankles, then my head. Was I getting an operation or was I about to be tortured? Oh right, surgery was torture.

There was a knock on what sounded like glass in front of me and I smiled. I knew it was Heero letting me know that he was still there. I could just barely make out his shape in the fuzz. But then I heard the sounds of the curtains closing and his figure disappeared. The sounds of a drill powering up right next to my head made me jump and my heart rate accelerate. The surgeon began to drill into my head, but I didn't feel anything. They must've already numbed me.

"During the entire operation, the nurse is going to show you a series of flash cards. If you can see them, tell us what's on them," the surgeon told me as they pulled the drill out of my head and stuck a thick needle into it.

I could tell someone was holding something in front of me. It must've been the nurse with her flash cards, but I couldn't see them. The surgeon messed around in my head for a good half an hour without any change, but then, he did something and everything went black.

"What the hell did you do?!" I choked out, trying to force air into my lungs.

"Why, what just happened?" my doctor asked me.

"Everything is black!" I yelled, my voice hoarse.

"Dammit! Pull out!" my doctor commanded.

"Let me just see if it's still temporary," the surgeon muttered.

"It's temporary?" I asked.

"It was. It might not be anymore," my doctor answered.

"It is. I'm pulling out now before it becomes permanent," the surgeon answered, pulling the needles out of my head.

I sighed in relief. I would get my sight back… hopefully. But now everything was worse. Instead of seeing meaningless colors and shapes, I saw nothing. Just black. Well if the surgeon was right about this being temporary, then it would go away eventually.

They unhooked my head and wrists and ankles, then helped me back into the wheelchair.

"You haven't needed the bag in the last few minutes," he pointed out. "How's your breathing?" I felt something cold on my chest.

"Fine. Please don't put that goddamned tube back in my throat," I asked, forcing air down into my searing lungs.

"As long as you don't need it, we won't put it back in," he told me, starting to wheel me out of the room. "Can you take him back to his room? I need to fill out some of his paper work."

I heard him walk away, then someone was pushing me.

"How did it go?" Heero asked from behind me.

"Well it's temporary," I told him. I wasn't going to tell him what had happened just yet. He would be pissed.

"That's great." He sounded relieved.

"This still sucks though," I frowned.

He chuckled, but it sounded forced. "I'm just happy that you're still alive," he said, and I felt something on the top of my head. His lips?

I felt his arms under my knees and around my back, then he lifted me up onto the hospital bed. Just then, I heard the doors slide open and footsteps approaching.

"How are you feeling?" my doctor asked me, checking my eyes.

"Like shit," I answered honestly. "Where did you go, Heero?"

"I'm right here," he told me, taking my hand.

"Is everything still black?" my doctor asked me.

"Wait… black?" Heero asked, confusion covering his voice.

"We experienced some problems during the surgery," my doctor explained.

"You mean your surgeon screwed up!" Heero shouted angrily.

"It's fine, Heero," I told him, trying to calm him down.

"No, it's not. You told us this was safe."

"Everything is fine. It's still temporary. It'll just take a little longer than normal to go away," the doctor reassured him, sounding slightly frightened.

"How is he?" Une's voice echoed from where the door was.

"He's doing much better now, ma'am," the doctor told her.

"Prognosis?" she demanded.

"Temporary blindness, punctured left lung, spleen, and stomach, ruptured kidneys, concussion, torn ACL, and dislocated shoulder," the doctor answered.

"You weren't wearing your bullet-proof vest, were you, Colonel Maxwell?" Une asked, disapproval covering her tone.

"I can't move as well in that thing," I defended, running

I heard her exhale. "How long is he going to be in the hospital?" she asked.

"He still has a number of operations he needs to go through to repair his damaged internal organs, so I'm thinking about another three to four weeks. Less if he heals well."

I groaned.

"And how long after that should he be out of work?"

"Until his blindness wears off, ma'am. By the time that goes away, all of his other injuries should be healed. But I have to tell you that he won't be the agent he used to be. His lungs are very weak and he has suffered numerous internal injuries that could very much fail under stressed circumstances."

"We'll see about that," I murmured under my breath.

"Noted," Une answered.

"I'll be fine, ma'am," I told her. "I'll still be able to work missions."

"We'll see, Maxwell," she told me. "I need you in my office, Colonel Yuy. We need to go over plans for your mission in ten days."

"I'm dropping the mission," Heero answered flatly, squeezing my hand.

I smacked him. "Take the mission. I'll be fine. I'll be in a hospital for God's sake. It's not like anything is going to happen to me."

Heero was silent, then he muttered, "Fine."

His hand slipped from mine and I heard his footsteps leave right behind the sound of Une's high heels. The doctor checked the bandages around my midsection, then slipped off the brace on my knee that I hadn't even realized that I had been wearing. He checked my knee and did some stress tests on it, which weren't all that pleasant, then put the brace back on. He repeated some of those tests on my shoulder, which weren't all that pleasant either, then checked my lungs and eyes. After he was done poking and prodding me, he left the room without another word.

My cell phone started to ring, and I fumbled around for it. I finally put my hand on it on the bedside table and pulled it to my ear just before my voicemail took it.

"Maxwell," I answered.

"Hey, bud. You still alive? Last time I saw you, you were being wheeled away on a stretcher just barely alive six days ago," I heard Lieutenant Cain ask.

"Six days? Really?" I asked my top soldier.

"Totally. Were you out the entire time?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I answered.

"So what's your diagnosis? When will you be returning?"

"Not for a while, Cain. I've been temporary blinded. I'm on leave until it goes away."

"Damn! How long will that be?"

"Nobody knows. Or they do and they just aren't telling me," I frowned.

"Crap. Can I talk to Colonel Yuy?" he asked me.

"He's not here. Try his cell."

"He hasn't left your room in six days. Why is he gone now?"

"I don't know. Une dragged him out of here ranting on about a mission or something," I answered.

"We aren't due to deploy for ten days and we're more than ready. What's she all freaking out for?"

"Don't ask me. Ask Yuy. Are you taking my spot as Second?" I asked him, hoping that was a yes.

"No. Apparently Une doesn't think I'm 'qualified' or some shit like that. Colonel Chang is taking your spot."

"Fei and Heero leading a mission together? Une has clearly lost her mind," I frowned.

"Tell me about it."

"Well I'll talk to Une and tell her my recommendations. It is my position and my team, so I would know better than her who's more qualified to take the position," I promised him.

"Thank you, sir. Gotta go. Colonel Stick-Up-His-Ass just got here and has already taken over your position," Lieutenant Cain whispered into the phone. "Are you allowing visitors?"

"I guess," I answered, not really caring.

"I'll see if Chang will let me off for a little while to come visit you," he responded.

"Alright."

I hung up and leaned my head back into the uncomfortable pillows. I ached all over and couldn't find a comfortable position. I groaned. This was going to be a long recovery.

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**You like? I like XD I'll try and get teh next chapter posted tomorrow, if not today. I have the entire thing written, so if I don't get my computer taken away, I should be able to post a new chapter every night. Hopefully... Anyway, please review!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Yay, I got the next chapter up! Well... I don't have much else to say... so, enjoy!**

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Chapter 2

When I awoke the next morning, it took me a while to remember why everything was black. I felt strong arms around me and I smiled. Heero must've come back after his meeting with Une. He should've gone home after his meeting. I knew he hadn't because I could feel his dirty shirt and his dog tags, which meant that he hadn't changed. I hugged him tight to me, breathing in his musky scent. I couldn't see him anymore, so I memorized his scent and his feel.

When I hugged him to me, the clunky metal of my knee brace hit against his knees and he jolted awake.

"Are you okay?" he mumbled automatically, still half asleep.

"I'm fine. Why didn't you go home?" I asked him.

"I did," he lied.

"I'm much smarter than you think. You're still wearing your combat shirt and dog tags and, by your smell and the feel of your hair," I told him, running my fingers through his thick hair, "you haven't showered since the mission. Go home, take care of yourself. I'm not going anywhere," I told him.

"But—"

"I'll be here. It's not like I'm going anywhere," I told him, forcing a smile. I didn't want him to go, but he needed to take care of himself.

He stood and I heard his footsteps, then the sound of the door sliding open then closing.

"Great. Now I'm alone again," I grumbled.

"Not any more," Quatre's voice said as the door opened and closed again.

"Hey. What's going on in the world of the living?" I asked him, as I followed his footsteps with my non-seeing eyes.

"So Heero told me that you've been temporarily blinded?" he asked from right next to my bed.

"Yeah. It sucks ass," I complained.

"I bet. I can't even imagine," he said, sounding at a loss for words. "Where did Heero go? I just saw him leaving. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. He just hasn't left the hospital since the accident. Well, he was just gone for a meeting, but he didn't go home, so I made him go home to take a shower."

"Oh, so that's why he was heading for the shower rooms. I thought that was kind of odd," he mused.

"Of course," I mumbled. "Of course he'd cheat and just take a shower here."

"It's only because he cares," he told me, patting my hand.

I nodded, unable to hide the smile.

"I hear WuFei is replacing you. Heero and WuFei? That's not going to last very long. They are going to kill each other," Quatre chuckled.

It was true, which made me frown. I fumbled for my cell and opened it. I growled when I couldn't see the numbers.

"Can you dial Une's number for me?" I asked him with a sigh. I hated this.

He dialed the number, then handed me my phone.

"Une," she answered flatly.

"I hear that you replaced me with Fei," I told her.

"Oh, um, yes. Colonel Chang is your replacement until you get back."

"Excuse me, ma'am, but what the _hell_ are you thinking?! Heero and Fei can't work together! If they don't get each other killed, they'll personally kill each other," I exhaled.

"They are my two best men," she answered simply.

"What about Trowa? Or Quatre? Or even my head of operations Lieutenant Cain? He knows how Heero works and he knows our men. He's more than qualified if you ask me," I told her.

"But I'm not asking you. Lieutenant Cain is an amazing agent, but he has a hard time dealing with stress—"

"Don't we all?! I mean, look what I did! I blew myself half to hell! At least give the man a chance."

"What does Heero have to say about this?"

"He'd probably side with me," I answered.

"I'll talk to him and Lieutenant Cain about it," she answered reluctantly.

"Thank you," I exhaled, snapping my phone shut.

The door opened and someone entered the room. I could tell it was Heero by the fall of his footsteps.

"That was quick. What, did you teleport home? Cause in rush hour traffic—"

"All you said for me to do was take a shower and change my clothes, both of which can be done in the hospital," he defended, walking over to me.

"I don't believe you took a shower. That was really quick."

He took my hand and placed into his wet hair, then shook it all over me.

"Thanks," I grumbled with a smile, wiping the water off of my face.

"Well I'll leave you two alone," Quatre said, and I heard his footsteps leave the room.

Heero laid back down next to me, his wet hair dampening the pillow.

"You're getting my pillow all wet," I teased.

He made to get up, but I grabbed his arm. "I was just messing with you! It's worth it," I told him, pulling him back down.

I leaned my head against his chest, which was clothed in his tank than he always wore under his combat shirt. I could also feel that he had kept on his camouflage cargo pants that he also wore in combat. I felt something hard and realized that he was still wearing his dog tags.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me, running his fingers through my bangs.

"Like crap. But what's new?" I teased. I wasn't going to lie and say I was fine. What use was that? I didn't lie to Heero anyway. "Why are you still wearing your dog tags?" I asked, giving them a light jerk.

He breathed deeply, wrapping his arms around me. "I don't want to lose them. How are you getting used to the blindness?"

"I'm realizing that my hearing is really good now. Now you won't be able to sneak up on me anymore," I joked.

"Until your sight comes back," he countered.

"Yeah, until then. But I'll enjoy it while it lasts," I grinned.

I heard Heero chuckle and it warmed my heart. The door opened and I could feel myself blush as I tried to roll away from Heero, but he held me tight against him and pressed his lips firmly to mine before releasing me and sitting up. I heard him sit in the chair next to my bed as my doctor checked my bandages and my eyes.

"How are you feeling today, Colonel Maxwell?" he asked.

"Like I was caught in an explosion. Oh, wait…" I teased.

I heard Heero chuckle, then the doctor felt my abdomen. He pressed on one spot and pain shot through my stomach.

"Ouch! What the hell did you just do?!" I yelled, flinching away from his touch.

"Did that hurt?" he asked, feeling again.

"Yes that hurt! What did you do?!" I demanded, swatting his hands away.

"Your kidneys aren't healing the way they should. They are fine for now, but we need to keep a close eye on them. If things start to go south, then we'll need to put him on a transplant list."

"Can I donate one of mine?" Heero asked. "We were both tested and were cleared as suitable donors for each other."

"Perfect. If his kidneys fail, we'll need you right here," the doctor told him.

"Heero—" I started, but he interrupted me with a kiss.

"Shh. I would give you my life if it would save yours. I can spare a kidney," he told me.

"But—"

"No buts. You would do the same thing for me."

I sighed, leaning my head back into the pillows. "Hey doc? Would it be okay if I get up and move around? I need to get out of this damn bed," I asked.

"Sure, but you need to stay in the wheelchair and you can't leave the building," he told me.

"Do I have to use the chair?" I complained, sitting up, which made my shoulder sear and my chest throb.

"You just had surgery to repair a torn ligament in your knee and your kidneys are about ready to burst. So, yes, you have to be in the wheelchair."

"Fine, fine," I grumbled.

Heero picked me up and set me gently in the wheelchair. He wheeled me out of the room and down the hall.

"Where are we going?" I asked him, turning my head up to 'look' at him out of habit.

"I don't know. Anywhere you'd like to go?"

"It's all the same to me," I teased, turning my head forward again. "I miss seeing you," I found myself saying. "It's so weird, hearing you talk and having you right with me, but unable to see you."

He was silent for a while, but then he broke the silence. "You have a visitor," he whispered in my ear.

"Hey Colonel Maxwell! Good to see you in the world of the living, sir," Lieutenant Cain's voice said from right in front of me before I could ask Heero who it was.

"Hey Lieutenant. How are things with Colonel Chang?" I asked him.

"As good as it can get with Colonel Chang. Which isn't all that great," he grimaced.

I laughed, which only made me cough. We continued on down the hall and I could hear the Lieutenant's footsteps right next to me.

"So how are things in this rat hole?" he asked me.

"Terrible. I hate it here. I just want to go home."

"As soon as you're done with your surgeries I'll have a rush put on your discharge," Heero promised me.

"Awesome. Can't wait to get out of here," I grumbled. "Oh, Lieutenant, I talked to Une about moving you into my spot and dropping Fei. She said that she'll talk to you about it. And you too," I said, pointing up at Heero.

"She hasn't called me yet. And I'd much rather prefer you, Cain, than Fei," Heero responded.

"I knew you would. Fei's an ass to work with, and partnered with _you_… That's just scary," I shuddered, smiling up at Heero.

Heero laughed. "He is a pain in my ass," he agreed.

"He's a pain in everyone's ass!" I countered, with a laugh. "If he could get his head out of his ass long enough to realize that he actually needs a team, then he wouldn't be that bad. He just doesn't realize that, without a team, he'd be dead before even stepping out onto the battlefield."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Lieutenant Cain agreed.

"Maxwell! What the hell are you doing out of bed?!" Une's voice yelled from the end of the hall.

"Oh crap," I winced.

"I'll take him back," Heero said and turned me around.

"He's a big boy, he can take himself back. I need to talk to you. Both of you," she said to Heero and Cain.

"If this is about my position, I think I should be present," I countered, turning myself back around, which cause my shoulder to painfully protest. "And by the way, I have no idea where the hell my room is," I pointed out, waving a hand in front of my un-seeing eyes. I probably could find my room on my own, but I was just making up excuses to stay out here.

"Go," she demanded. "I'm sure you can figure it out."

I huffed, then spun back around and made my way back down the hall.

"He's going to kill himself," I heard Heero protest, just before I ran headlong into a wall.

"Ouch! Shit!" I cussed, clutching at my searing chest.

I heard hurried footsteps and I raised my hands in the air. "I'm okay!" I reassured, backing up my wheelchair. I turned it around and moved forward, only to run into another wall. "Crap. I give up!" I exhaled, my lungs protesting. My shoulder and lungs were killing me from just that short effort.

Heero was next to me then. Straightening out my chair and taking me to my room.

"Are you alright?" he asked me.

"Fine. What's going on with Une?" I asked quickly, instinctively looking around for Une, but obviously not seeing her.

"She's debating on whether or not to allow Cain to Second," he said, and I could tell he was frowning.

"Threaten to drop the mission. Tell her that you won't work with Fei under any circumstances," I pressured.

"I'll try. She'll probably call my bluff though."

"She won't. You've already threatened to drop the mission once, and that wasn't in demand for anything in return, so she'll know you'll do it. Even if you aren't serious this time," I countered.

"Alright," he agreed. "But I would be serious. I'd rather stay here anyway, so if she doesn't allow it, then I will stay behind."

"No you won't," I scoffed.

"I actually would. You and your safety are far more important to me than this mission."

"I'm in a freakin' hospital! Nothing is going to happen to me!" I exclaimed in exasperation, throwing my hands up into the air.

"You've just proved that wrong. You messed up your knee by just rolling your chair down the hall," he said.

"It's not messed up. It just hurts a little," I protested as he lifted me out of the chair.

"I beg to differ. You are bleeding all over me. You probably ripped your stitches from the surgery."

"Really? Crap. There's another surgery to add to the list, because they'll want to open it up again to see if anything was damaged or some crap like that," I grumbled.

Heero laid me down into the hospital bed and then pushed the button on the bed. A few nurses came in and Heero told them about my leg. My doctor entered then and, confirming my assumptions, explained that they needed to do 'exploratory surgery' to figure out if I had torn the ligament again. This was stupid. I obviously wasn't dieing so I don't see why I needed all these surgeries. And I couldn't hold back those thoughts.

"This is bullshit! I'm obviously still alive and as far as I know I'm not dieing! So I don't see why I need any of this shit!" I exclaimed, ripping off my brace and bandages. I hopped out of the bed and headed to where I thought he door was.

Someone grabbed my arm and I spun around and made contact with their face. That person ignored my punch and grabbed my other wrist to keep me from doing it again.

"You need to stay here," Heero told me firmly, his voice hiding all emotion.

I had hit Heero? I was suddenly flooded with guilt and my endorphin high disappeared. I collapsed against his chest, my searing knee finally giving out.

"I'm sorry… I-I didn't know it was you…" I apologized as he held me up.

"It's okay. I probably would have done the same thing. Besides, you've done worse to me before. Remember when we first met?" he asked me.

"Yeah. I shot you. Twice," I admitted with a frown.

"Exactly," he grinned, helping me back into my bed. "He does have a point though," he said, turning to my doctor. "How many more surgeries does he need?"

"Well one in his knee—"

"Let me rephrase. How many more _necessary_ surgeries does he need?" my lover interrupted him.

"It is necessary—"

"Can't you just do a scan or something? Is surgery _really_ necessary?"

"Well I guess we can—"

"Then do it. What other surgeries does he need?"

"Kidney transplant if it fails. And that's it really. There are some others that we'd like to do—"

"If they aren't necessary, then doesn't need them," Heero demanded, his voice sounded as threatening as his face probably looked.

"Thanks, babe," I grinned after everyone had all left the room.

"No problem. I hate hospitals," he said, his voice still flat.

"At least you're free to leave when you feel like it. Dr. Asshole is never gonna let me leave," I complained.

My doctor coughed from right next to me and I cringed. I thought he had left. Heero chuckled slightly.

"If you're here, I'll be here," he promised, his voice soft again.

It was silent for a while, then I murmured, "I'm sorry I hit you. I… I don't know what came over me. I—"

He cut me off with a kiss. "You're under a lot of stress right now. Not to mention pain. Besides, you didn't know it was me. I should've said something."

"Well I'm still sorry."

"I know."

The door opened and someone entered.

"Hey Duo. Heero. Whoa, what happened to your face—" Quatre asked, but then shut up immediately. Heero must've told him to stop talking.

"Ugh, did I leave a mark? I'm sorry, Heero," I moaned, laying my head back.

"No," they both lied.

"Lieutenant Cain had to leave, so he sent me in here to tell you two that Une accepted your proposal to promote him to Second," Quatre told us.

"Awesome," I smiled. At least there was _some_ good news in this crappy day. But it was short lived. My doctor had Heero put me back in the wheelchair so that he could take me to get an MRI and to replace my stitches. Great.

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**I'm not sure if I'll be able to get the next chapter up tomorrow, but I'll try. So? Is it good o far? I wrote this in like, an hour, so I feel like it was too fast and that I'm missing something... Please review!**

**By the way, I'm still having troubles with 'Captured', so don't expect anything from that in a while. Sorry. I'll see if my genius friend can do anything with it...**


	4. Chapter 3

**Yay! Two chapters in one day! XD Enjoy!**

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Chapter 3

So it turned out that my ACL was fine. I must've thanked Heero a million times for getting me out of what would've been a pointless surgery. I still needed to get my knee stitched back up, but at least they weren't surgical stitches. During the scan, they also checked my kidneys and determined that the tenderness was due to internal bleeding. It had stopped on its own though, so they decided to leave it alone and let my kidneys filter out the excess blood by itself. But they are keeping me on close watch for any changes.

"Thank you again, sweet," I said to Heero, grabbing his shirt and pulling him in for a quick kiss.

"And again, you're welcome," he answered, sitting down in the chair next to the bed.

"Do you think I'll be able to get out of here soon?" I asked him hopefully.

"Not likely. Remember that you had internal bleeding. They're still trying to monitor it to see whether or not you need your kidneys replaced," he answered and I heard the flip of a page. He must've been reading something.

Reading. Wow. I couldn't read anymore. That was such a weird concept. Just then, the door opened and someone in heels walked in. Une. She dropped something on my lap. I think it was a file. The upside of not being able to read…

"I can't read this," I told her, picking the file up from off my chest.

"Ask Yuy for help. And also this," she told me, dropping another one on my lap. "These are the forms you need to fill out to promote Cain to Second."

Without another word, she turned on her heals and left.

"Here you go, love. Have fun," I grinned, handing him the files.

"Great," he murmured sarcastically.

The doors opened back up Une's heels clicked back into the room.

"Oh, and Yuy, deployment date has been changed. You and your men are being shipped out tomorrow night," she told Heero.

"What? Why?" he asked, startled.

"Because Trowa's team can't press forward anymore. They are completely out of energy so you need to ship out as soon as possible. You and Cain need to get used his new position, so I highly recommend that you call your men together and get a work out in before you deploy."

Heero growled. "Fine," he huffed, then surprised me by leaning in for a kiss. I blushed and heard him follow Une's heals out of the room.

Then it all sunk it. Heero was leaving for ten days at the least tomorrow night. Ten days… on a dangerous mission… without me to watch his back… I was suddenly very nervous. I wouldn't be there to look out for him, and if he got hurt… I couldn't even finish that sentence.

…

"I'm going to miss you," I mumbled into his shirt. "Please don't do anything stupid. I… I don't know what I'd do if I lost you…"

"I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing, and I trust Lieutenant Cain to watch my back," he promised into my hair.

I breathed in deeply, my lungs searing. He pulled me in for a deep, passionate kiss full of love and promises. My lungs struggled against the lack of oxygen, but I never wanted him to stop. I wrapped my arms around his strong body, wanting to trap him here with me. But unfortunately, the door opened and Une nearly dragged him out of the bed by his hair.

"Hey! I wasn't done with him," I complained.

"Well hurry up," she said curtly.

"Love you. And I'm going to miss you," I told him, trying to make some sort of eye contact, but most likely failing.

"Love you too. If you need anything, anything at all, you call me. Okay? And if there is any trouble, I'll come back immediately," he promised.

"Or not. You call him without authorization or clearance, Maxwell, and I'll have your badge for blowing a mission," Une put in.

I stuck my tongue out in her direction, but nodded in agreement.

"Very mature. What do you see in him?" she asked my lover as the door closed behind the two of them.

I stuck my tongue out in her direction again. But then I felt my chest tighten and heard my heart monitor accelerate. Heero was gone. And, if things didn't go well, I could never see him again… no. No, I wasn't going to think like that. Heero was the perfect soldier. He knew how to work a mission without getting himself killed.

I forced myself to breath deeply, ignoring the protest in my lungs. I closed my eyes tight, despite the fact that it didn't change anything. I breathed in deep again. Heero was going to be fine. He knew how to take care of himself.

The door opened and I started. "Heero?" I asked hopefully.

"Umm, no," my doctor answered. "I did see him leaving though. Is everything okay?"

"He's going off on a mission," I answered, unable to hide the nervousness from my voice.

"Well you better hope that your kidneys hold up. Because, especially with your blood type, it'll be near impossible to get you a new kidney before you bleed out," he responded, checking over my bandages.

"Good thing he doesn't know that. Cause he'd be freaking out," I mused out loud.

"Tell me about it. It's almost scary how protective he is over you."

For some reason, that comment pissed me off to no end. "Why? Because we're gay? Is that why it's scary?" I snapped.

"No, no! I just mean… he's just so damn protective! I've never seen anyone like that before. Straight or gay."

"Whatever," I retorted, turning my eyes away from his direction.

It was uncomfortably silent as he checked over my wounds and IV lines.

"We are going to take you for an MRI to check your kidneys, okay?"

"Fine, whatever," I answered tersely.

He helped me into the wheelchair, then rolled me over to the scanner. Of course I checked out, like always. But there was a little more excess blood than the last time though.

"Well, we could to surgery to—"

"Is it necessary? Will I die if we don't do the surgery?" I growled, trying to put on Heero's menacing face.

"No, but—"

"Then I don't consent," I answered firmly.

"Fine," he sighed, letting it drop as he rolled me back to my room.

I tried to memorize how long it took and at what speed we were going at. I wanted to be able to get out of my room on my own without crashing into things. And since my hearing was really good, I could identify where hallways were by the sounds of other peoples voices. I probably crashed the last time because I wasn't paying attention. I had been trying to listen to Heero and Une's conversation behind me. I was pretty sure that if I actually used my accentuated sense of hearing, I could do okay. But finding my own room again? I'll just have to remember my exact moves.

Once the doctor got me situated back in the bed and left, I waited about a minute, then eased myself back into the wheelchair. I rolled it towards the door, my shoulder protesting and my lungs screamed, but it would be worth it to just get out and get a breather. I fumbled for the handle, then slid it open. I rolled out into the hallway, then followed the sounds of voices. I slowed myself down to a nice easy pace so that if I did hit a wall, it would just be a bump instead of a collision.

There was always a constant stream of noise and voices, so I was able to avoid crashing into walls, but I couldn't avoid always bumping into people or chairs or anything else that happened to be in the middle of the hallway. I screeched to a halt, my shoulder exploding in pain, when I heard my doctor's voice from down the hall in front of me. I quickly located a hall to my immediate right and hurried into it, nearly knocking someone over in the process.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I apologized.

"Dammit! Can you watch where your—" the man cursed, but then was cut short when he realized that I couldn't see. "Who's your doctor?"

Damn. He was a doctor. "Dr. Chase," I answered honestly, giving up.

"Oh, he's right here. Hey! Robert! Why is your blind patient wandering the halls?"

"What? Where is he?" I heard my doctor's voice echo from just down the hall.

"I have him right here."

"Damn. Mr. Maxwell, you shouldn't be out of your room without an escort," my doctor chastised.

"Sorry. Just needed fresh air," I answered.

"In the maternity ward?" he questioned.

"I have no idea where the hell I am!" I defended, but couldn't hide the blush.

He started wheeling me back to my room and I crossed my arms over my chest. I probably looked like a pouting five year old, but I hated being locked up in my room. And now that Heero was gone, I had absolutely nothing to do and no one to talk to. I swatted his hands away as he reached down to help me into bed. I was a big boy and could do it on my own, was my response to the questioning look I knew he was giving me.

Just then my phone rang and I fumbled around for it, finally finding it on the seat of the wheelchair.

"What?" I asked, still very much annoyed and unable to hide it.

"Oh, sorry. Did I catch you at the wrong time?" my lover's voice asked, the sounds of engines firing up in the background.

"Never," I grinned, my mood instantly lightening.

"Good. What was wrong?"

"Oh nothing. Just Dr. Asshole living up to his name. He won't let me out of my cage." My doctor coughed, but I ignored him. I heard him leave and I stuck my tongue out at his retreating form.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Well I only have a minute, but I just wanted to tell you to be safe and I'll call you when I get the chance."

"Be safe? Really? For the millionth time, I'm in a freakin hospital!" I pointed out to him, a smile in my voice.

"Okay, what I really meant was don't be stupid and do what Dr. Asshole tells you to do," he rephrased. "I'm kissing you over the phone."

"Well I'm kissing you back," I answered with a smile.

"Got to go. Love you. I'll call you tomorrow morning if possible."

"Love you. And _you_ be safe. I'm more worried about you than you should be about me."

"Okay. I'll call you tomorrow morning," he told me, then the line went dead and I sighed, 'looking' up at the ceiling.

I still wanted to go out 'exploring' but I decided that I shouldn't now, since Dr. Stick-Up-His-Ass was probably going to tighten down on me. I'll go out tomorrow… if I can.

It was almost painfully silent and it was driving me insane. I played with my IV line and tried to eavesdrop on the people outside. But the IV lines weren't very fun, and my hearing wasn't good enough to pick out every single word, which made it kind of pointless. I sighed heavily, forcing myself to keep my mind off of Heero. But no matter how hard I tried, the thoughts were always there at the back of my head. I was finally able to fall asleep after about half an hour of near panic.

…

"Wakey wakey sleeping beauty," a voice said in my ear.

It startled me and I swung up my fist, but missed. Pain shot through my shoulder and down my entire body.

"Jeez! Someone's a little jumpy this morning," Quatre giggled, sitting down in the chair next to my bed.

"A little warning next time would be greatly appreciated," I told him, rubbing my searing shoulder.

"Noted. How are you feeling?" he asked me.

"Like shit. So, are you here for a reason? Or are you just hanging out," I asked him.

"I can leave, if you want me to," he frowned, standing.

"No! It's so freakin boring in here. Please stay," I begged.

He laughed. "Okay, okay. But I actually am here for a reason. Heero asked me to keep an eye on you."

"Of course he did. Cause he doesn't trust me enough to keep an eye on myself."

"He's just worried is all, which is understandable. You've made it so far and he doesn't want anything else to happen to you."

I sighed. "What happened to Trowa? I haven't seen him since before our deployment."

"Well technically, you haven't _seen_ anybody since then," he teased.

"Whatever. You know what I mean," I scowled.

He giggled, then answered, "Trowa's been on a mission. They deployed the day after your accident and is due back tomorrow at the earliest."

"Oh right. Heero was sent to relieve him. Where are they?"

"I… I don't know. Nobody would tell me," he answered, a frown in his voice.

"Have you heard from either of them?" I asked, then I remembered Heero telling me he was going to call me this morning. "What time is it?"

"Almost noon, sleepy head," he giggled in response.

"Shit," I hissed under my breath, fumbling around for my phone.

Quatre handed it to me and I opened it. Uhh… I pressed what I thought was the '1' button, then what I thought was the 'call' button. I was right and listened the automated voice of my voicemail.

"_You have one new message: 'Hey love, sorry I missed you. We are just about to leave the rendezvous point where we ran into Trowa's team. I won't be able to call tonight. We're marching straight through the night. I've asked Quatre to come and keep you company, so he should be there in a hour our so. Love you, got to go. Bye.'"_

"Damn," I grumbled, snapping the phone shut. "Trowa is on his way home, by the way," I told Quatre.

"Thanks," he murmured, sounding relieved. "Is he okay?"

"Well Heero didn't say he wasn't," I told him.

He didn't say anything, but he had probably nodded. I needed to get out of here. I assumed that Dr. Fun-Is-A-Sin had probably already been in to see me, so I decided that I'd make my break for it now. But Quatre wasn't going to let me leave. I could just imagine our argument.

"Hey Quatre? Do you think you can get me something to drink? My throat is really dry," I lied.

"Sure. I'll be back in a sec," he promised, taking the bait.

I nodded and waited a few seconds after he had left to ease myself into my wheelchair. My doctor wasn't very smart for leaving it here, right next to my bed. I rolled to the door, found the handle, then opened the door and wheeled out. I had no idea which direction Quatre had gone in. By listening to the voices, I determined that I had three options. Left, right, or straight. I took a random guess and turned left. I don't think that I had ever been down that way. All the operating rooms and scanners and whatnot all seemed to be down that right hallway. So come to think of it, I probably should've gone right. I didn't think any of the vending machines would be down there. Oh well. Too late. It would look suspicious if I changed directions. I rolled down the hall, following the voices. I heard a lot of talk about cancer, so I assumed that I was near the oncology wing.

"Duo?! What the hell are you doing?!" Quatre's voice called from behind me.

Shit. I grinned deviously and took off down the hall. The voices came steadily, so I was able to avoid running into anything. I laughed as I took a turn down another hall and heard Quatre's footsteps running behind me.

"This is pathetic Quatre! I'm in a wheelchair. And I'm _blind!_" I called over my shoulder.

"Duo! You're going to kill yourself, you idiot!" I heard Quatre yell, but I could tell he was laughing. "How the hell do you know where you're going?!"

I laughed. "I follow the—"

I was cut off as I missed my turn and slammed into a wall. Pain erupted in my stomach. Not good. I wasn't quite able to hold back the cry of pain and it came out as a strangled whimper. I couldn't breathe and my stomach seared. I doubled over, clutching my abdomen. Shit, I cussed at myself as the icy claws of blackness reached out and enveloped me.

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**So? Poor Duo... I like this chapter, but the next chapter is awesome. I promise XD please review!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Love this chapter XD Sorry I wasn't able to post sooner. I was out all day long. And apparently my mom was just kidding about me being grounded this week, so I'll be able to post every night. Yay! XD Anyways, enjoy.**

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Chapter 4

"What happened?" my doctor's voice yelled as I started to come to.

"He ran into the wall," Quatre answered, his voice portraying his guilt. "What's wrong with him?"

"His kidneys have failed," he responded shortly, feeling my stomach. "He might've damaged them."

"Oh man. Heero is going to _kill_ me," Quatre mumbled into something. His hands maybe.

"This is more serious than you think, Colonel Winner. Without a transplant, he is going to die."

"What's going on?" Une's voice demanded as the door opened.

"Maxwell's kidneys have failed. Can you contact Colonel Yuy? We need his kidney," my doctor answered.

"Is it that serious? We could be compromising the mission by calling him."

I knew that even if Une could get a hold of Heero, he wouldn't be able to come home. They'd have to find a shuttle, find spare supplies, set up a departure time, coordinate landing arrivals and locations, find Heero, then come back. By the time all of that was set up and put into action, the mission would be over anyways.

"He has a week at the most. If he doesn't get a new kidney, he will die," my doctor snapped back.

"I could donate mine," Quatre volunteered.

"What blood type are you?"

"A positive," he answered.

"Yours wont work. Normally it would be easy to get a new kidney, but under the circumstances…"

"What circumstances?" Une demanded.

"He has blood type B negative, the least common blood type. His blood type will only accept type B negative or O negative. We could get him an O negative kidney, which would be easy, but there is a ninety-five percent chance of rejection."

"Which means…" Quatre prompted.

"If his body were to reject it, we'd have to replace it that second, which means if we were to try an O neg kidney, we'd want to make sure we could get our hands on a B neg as soon as possible. So what I'm saying is that unless we absolutely have to replace his kidney with an O neg one, we are going to hold off on the transplant."

"And what then? What if we have to replace with an O negative and he rejects it before you could get a B negative one?" Quatre asked.

"Then… he won't make it through next week," the doctor responded grimly.

"Damn," Une breathed. "What if we could find a suitable donor?"

"You'd have to find someone with B neg blood, then they'd have to get tested to make sure that they can actually donate," my doctor said.

"I'll go ask around at the headquarters," Quatre said, heading for the door.

"Wait. Let me see if I can get in contact with Yuy and his team first," Une said.

"If you find him, I wanna talk to him," I mumbled and the room suddenly went dead quiet.

"Did you… hear…?" my doctor asked me.

"Yup. I'm dieing and unless you can get Heero or someone else with my rare blood type, then… yeah, you know," I mumbled, opening my eyes to the familiar darkness.

"Yes, I need to speak to Recon team Alpha pronto," Une's voice said into the phone as she walked out of the room.

"I'm going to head over to the office and see if we can find anyone that can donate," Quatre said, getting up and heading out the door.

As the door opened, I heard Une murmur, "Hey Quatre, can you come here a moment."

It was quiet for a while, just the sounds of my doctor scurrying around checking my stomach and my monitors. The pain was intense. It felt like something was tearing inside me. I thought about what the doctor had said. About having only a week longer to live. It didn't bother me nearly how much I thought it would. But what did bother me was the fact that I'd never get to see Heero again. The last images I had of him, were images of him crouched behind a metal wall, ducking from bullets, his face covered in dirt and sweat, and a hard, expressionless mask he always wore on missions. I wanted to actually see those beautiful cobalt eyes one more time. To hear his voice tell me that he loved me.

Another fact that bothered me was the fact that, before Heero met me, he was a broken soul inside of a hard, emotionless, molded shell. I felt a whole new kind of pain to think that he could go back to that if I was gone. I couldn't stand the thought of him falling back into that... nothingness.

"You'll be okay, sir. We'll figure this out," my doctor told me, his voice sympathetic.

That's when I realized that I was crying. He had misunderstood, but I didn't bother to correct him. I just ignored him, thinking about Heero, about his breathtaking eyes, his soothing voice… If I could just see him one more time, listen to him speak. I thought of the voicemail he had left me and fumbled for my phone. I played it a few times, savoring his voice.

I closed the phone, and played with it for a few moments. I heard my doctor start to leave, but I thought of something.

"Hey, Dr. Chase?" I asked him.

"Yes, sir?"

"Could you… could you get something for me, please?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"Of course. What do you need?"

"A lawyer. I think it's about time I made a will," I answered, rubbing the back of my neck.

"O-Of course, Colonel Maxwell. But, I don't want you to give up hope just yet," he responded than left the room.

I set my phone back on the table and laid my head back. "I'm sorry, Heero," I murmured, clutching at my cross around my neck.

It was about an hour later when someone walked into my room. I didn't recognize the footsteps, so I continued to 'stare' at the ceiling and play with my cross.

"Mr. Maxwell? Excuse me, I mean Colonel Maxwell?" a woman asked.

"It's okay. I don't care about formalities. Can I help you?" I asked, turning my face towards her.

"Um, I-I must have the wrong room," she stammered.

"I'm Duo Maxwell," I reassured her. "Who are you?"

"I-I'm Stephanie Cooper. I-I'm a trust attorney," she answered.

I chuckled. "I wondered whether he'd actually get me a lawyer."

"Excuse me, sir, but are you actually dieing? You… You're so young," she commented and I heard her take a seat in the chair next to my bed.

"Yeah. Kidney failure. And apparently I have a rare blood type. They don't think they'll be able to find me a new kidney," I told her, trying to keep myself sounding upbeat. She already seemed nervous and I didn't want to depress her either.

"Okay, so you need to make a will?"

"Yeah," I sighed.

"Okay, well, do you own a house?" she started.

"I'm leaving everything to Heero Yuy," I told her straight forward.

"Okay," she responded. "Can you please spell that?"

"H-E-E-R-O, space, Y-U-Y," I told her, and I heard her write something on a piece of paper.

"What relation is he to you?" she asked.

"He's my boyfriend," I answered simply.

"Okay. And everything goes to him?" she confirmed, her pen going quickly over the document. I really liked her. She didn't seem to have any prejudice and was short and to the point.

"Yup."

"Okay, sign here," she told me.

I waved a hand in front of my face. "I'm blind," I told her.

"Oh… Well here's the pen," she said, putting it in my hand. "And here's the line. It's okay if it's a little crooked," she smiled, putting my hand in the right spot.

I smiled and scrawled my name.

"Perfect, thank you. I'll have this put through before tomorrow. I hope you won't have to use it though," she said, her voice sympathetic again.

"Yeah, me too," I sighed, playing with my crucifix again.

She left the room, but someone entered after her. But whoever it was just stood there, breathing. I could feel the tension in the air.

"Can I help you?" I prompted.

"Uh… who was that lady?" Quatre asked, but I knew that's not what was bothering him.

"A trust attorney. Thought it was about time I made a will," I answered. "What's going on?"

"Uh, Une didn't want me to tell you…"

"Tell me what?" Something wasn't right.

"Oh, here she is," he exhaled in relief, like he didn't want to be the person to tell me what was happening.

The door opened and I recognized Une's heals. But she too, just stood there with Quatre.

"What the hell is going on?" I demanded. I wasn't in the mood for mind games.

"We… We lost contact with Heero's team," Une answered.

Was this a joke? Cause if it was, it wasn't funny. At all. I laughed despite myself though. "I am _so_ not in the mood for jokes right now. And that wasn't funny," I shot back.

"W-We're serious, Duo. Trowa hasn't left the forest yet, so we had his team trace back and look for them, but they can't find them," Quatre defended.

"What… What are you saying? That Heero… Heero disappeared?" I stammered, my heart rate accelerating.

"Yes," Une answered shortly.

"W-Was he… captured?"

"We don't know. Trowa and his team are doing an entire search of the forest. He's nowhere to be found."

"I… I don't believe you," I stuttered, grabbing my phone and feeling for Heero's speed dial number.

"_The number you tried to reach is no longer available,"_ the prerecorded voice told me.

No. This wasn't happening. This was all some sick joke. Pick on the dying person day. I actually dialed out his number, thankful that I had it memorized and was able to find the right keys. Again I got the same message. I closed the phone and could feel the tears on my cheeks. I was suddenly overwhelmed with so many emotions. Anger, rage, pain, hurt, loss, hopelessness. I threw myself out of bed, the pain in my knee and abdomen nearly suppressed by all my other emotions and the adrenaline rush.

"No! You're lying to me! Heero's not in trouble! Heero doesn't get in trouble!" I shouted, grabbing the first things my hands came across and swinging it at them.

I heard a gun being drawn, but I didn't care.

"I have to go find him… have to go find him…" I stammered, limping my way over to the door.

Someone tried to stop me, but I whirled around and punched whoever it was square in the face with more force than I thought I had in my weak state. It must've been the adrenaline. I spun back around and made my way as quickly as possible through the door and jogged down the hall.

Someone grabbed my arms and pinned them behind my back.

"Duo! Calm down!" It was Quatre, and by the sound of his voice, it was him I had hit in the face.

"LET GO OF ME!" I exclaimed, twisting out of his hold.

"Listen to me!" he demanded, grabbing me again and twisting me into a headlock. "I know your upset, and I would be too if it was Trowa, but you need to calm down. You aren't making things any better."

"Get the fuck off of me!" I demanded, flipping him over my head.

Someone grabbed my bad shoulder and, ignoring the pain, I swung at them, making contact with their jaw. I wasn't in control of my body as I fought off several hospital guards, the adrenaline giving me much more strength then they could handle. The only thoughts running through my head were thoughts of Heero. I was angry at him. How could he let this happen? But I was also angry at myself. How could _I_ let this happen? And also, I felt hopeless. Why him? I was dieing and I could accept that, but him? No. No!

What surprised me is when someone grabbed me and hugged me to them. I didn't know how to react.

"It's okay, Duo. We'll find him. I promise," Quatre murmured into my ear. "He'll come back to you."

And with that, my resolve completely failed and I collapsed into him, unable to hold back the tears anymore. I cried into his shirt, hugging him close to me. I had never cried like this before. Even though my entire body was in so much pain I was on the verge of a shut down, my tears were only tears of emotional pain. My Heero was missing, possibly hurt, and I couldn't help him.

Someone suddenly shoved something into my neck and within moments, I felt myself fading into blackness. I collapsed onto my knees, my head spinning. With my last bit of strength, I took my crucifix off my neck and handed it to Quatre.

"M-Make sure… that… Heero gets this… when you find… him," I managed.

"Of course," he responded, sounding close to tears.

"And tell him… that I… that I love him…" I breathed, then the blackness claimed me.

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**Ohdang... Did you guys like this chapter as much as I did? Hope so XD If so, please review! I love hearing what you guys think XD**

**I've given 'Captured' to my friend to mess with, so hopefully we'll be able to get that done soon, for all of you reading that one. Sorry this one is going so slow.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Well, here's the next chapter. I don't have much else to say... So, enjoy.**

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Chapter 5

The pain throughout most of my body was extremely intense. I couldn't move, could hardly breathe. I wasn't dead. Death wasn't this painful. At least it shouldn't be. I opened my eyes, but of course didn't see anything. I couldn't remember why I was in so much pain, or what had happened. I tried to lift my hand to rub my throbbing head, but found that both of my wrists were handcuffed to the bed. That's when it all came back to me. I… I was dieing… And Heero…

I pulled against the cuffs. I needed to go find him.

"Duo? Calm down," Quatre's voice said from right next to me. "You just had surgery to try and slow the bleeding into your kidneys."

"I need to go find Heero," I insisted, thrashing against the cuffs.

"Duo, Une has her best men out there looking for him," Quatre reassured me.

"Heero and I are her best men!" I shouted. "_I_ need to go look for him! It's my fault that he's out there! If I could've gone with him, I… I wouldn't have let this happen!"

"Duo. There is nothing you could've done. They were ready for us. No matter who had gone, it would've turned out the same way."

I frowned. I needed a way to get out of these cuffs. Either I had to trick my doctor, or I had to get an adrenaline rush. It would've been easy to pick the locks on the cuffs if they had just locked one of my hands, but they locked both to the sides of the bed. It would be hard to trick my doctor after what had just happened, but it might be easy to get my doctor to inject me with adrenaline. There are a few things that call for adrenaline injections, but not all are easy to fake. Like it would be really hard to fake anaphylactic shock and cardiac arrest, but it would be easier to fake an asthma attack.

"How long have you been here?" I asked Quatre.

"For the past forty hours while you were out," he answered.

"Forty hours?! That's almost two days! Nobody has found Heero yet?"

"No, but we found the ambush spot. And… we found this," he said, wrapping my hand around something.

It was something on a chain. Two flat rectangular ovals with raised letters on them. They were dog tags. I felt the letters. H-E-E-R-O Y-U-Y was written on the top line and I felt my eyes starting to water. They were Heero's dog tags.

"Can you put it on me?" I asked him, unable to do it myself because of the cuffs.

"Sure," he answered, putting the chain around my neck.

"You should go home and rest. You need to sleep, and I'm not going anywhere," I told him, pulling once on the cuff.

The doctor then entered and Quatre left.

"How are your pain meds holding up?" my doctor asked.

"Pain is terrible, but I don't want any meds," I told him.

"But, when they wear off, you'll be in considerable pain," he flustered.

"I don't care. If Heero is in pain right now, he's not getting any pain meds, so I don't want any," I told him threateningly.

"Okay. I can't force you to take them, but if you change your mind, and I know you will, just tell me."

"And while we're on the subject, I don't want any medication at all," I told him.

"I must ask you to reconsider that. You are on high powered antibiotics. If we take them off, you will be at a serious risk for infection," he warned.

"Does it matter?!" I snapped. "I'm dieing anyway!"

"I guess not, and I can't force you to take anything you don't want," the doctor said disappointedly.

"Nope, you can't. Only Heero is cleared to make medical decisions for me and he's not here right now," I pointed out, my voice shaky.

"Fine, but I urge you to think it over more," he told me walking back around my bed.

"I have. I don't want meds. If Heero's not getting them, then I don't want them," I insisted.

He sighed. "Just a heads up, the pain meds have almost run out, so you'll really be feeling it in a moment."

I nodded and he left. And sure enough, a few minutes later, I felt the meds wearing off and the pain increased. Then I realized something… I couldn't trick him into giving me adrenaline now. It would be too suspicious. Crap.

Pain seared throughout my stomach and my lungs. I could just barely hold back the cries. And as time ticked slowly by, the pain increased. I tried to force myself to go to sleep, but couldn't. After about only two hours, I found myself moaning and shaking in pain. I could hold back the whimpers every time I exhaled. My eyes were pinched closed and I tried not to breathe. I wanted to double in on myself, but the restraints kept me from curling up on my side.

"Duo?! What's going on?" Quatre asked, rummaging around in drawers, probably looking for pain meds.

"Don't," I managed between groans.

"Don't what?" he asked, and I heard him grab something.

"Don't give me any pain meds. I've decided that I don't want any," I forced out, my lungs exploding in pain.

"Why the hell not, Duo? You are obviously in pain," Quatre protested.

"Because Heero isn't—"

"So this is about Heero?! Dammit Duo! You're going to…" he suddenly cut short.

"Gonna what? Gonna kill myself?" I snapped back. "Earth to Quatre! I'm _already_ dieing!"

"If this really is about Heero, do you really think Heero would want you to do this to yourself? Do you really think that Heero would want you to suffer like this?" he asked, his voice soft again.

"Heero could be suffering like this right now," I breathed.

"Yes, but you don't have to be. I'm not going to watch you torture yourself," he exhaled, heading towards the door.

"Wait, Quatre, don't go. I don't hurt as bad when I have someone to talk to," I admitted. It still hurt like a bitch, but talking to someone distracted me a little.

"Will you take your pain meds?" he bargained.

"Nope," I answered.

"Then I'm not staying," Quatre answered. "Oh, and by the way, I put a voice analyzer in your cell so that you don't have to push any buttons. You just have to tell it what to do. Thought it might help." Then he left the room.

I was left alone again, nothing to distract myself from the crippling pain. Eventually the pain became intense enough that I passed out.

_He was right in front of me, but no matter how fast I ran, I could not get to him. "Heero!" I shouted, reaching out towards him. "Heero!" Why didn't he turn? Couldn't he hear me? "HEERO!" Suddenly, he was disappearing. "NO! Heero! Run!"_

"_Bye Duo," he whispered, then was gone._

"No!" I shouted, shooting straight up in bed.

I couldn't stop the tears and I brought my hands up to wipe them away. Wait… I felt my wrists and felt the broken chains of the cuffs. I must've snapped them when I shot upright. I felt for the keys on the bedside table. If I was cuffed to the bed, then there would be no need to hide the key. Sure enough, there they were and I unhooked the remaining parts of the cuffs. Then, I looked around instinctually. If I was alone, then I could get out of here right now and go save Heero.

"Hey Quatre?" I asked. "Doc?"

No answer. Perfect. I stood, the adrenaline rush masking some of my pain. I walked out of the room, somewhat hunched over and clutching at my abdomen. I was in no condition to go on a mission. But like Heero told me a few days ago, 'I would give you my life if it would save you'. That was no different the other way around. I was willing to give anything to see that Heero was safe. Besides, I was already dieing, so why not use my last bit of life to see that my love didn't die as well?

I limped down the hall, pulling out my cell and pressing it to my ear.

"Umm, call agent Walker?" I demanded, but it was more of a question. I didn't really no what to do.

"_Calling agent Walker,"_ the automated voice responded, then the phone started to ring.

"Walker," the tough voice responded.

"It's Maxwell," I answered.

"Duo? How's it going, bud? I hear that you're in the hospital."

"I need a favor," I told him, getting straight to the point, feeling down the walls to the main hall.

"Anything, sir. I owe you my life," he responded.

"Can you get a chopper set up for me?" I asked him.

"Uh, well, I'll try. Where do you need to go?"

"Umm, do you know where the rescue team is located?" I asked, hoping he did, because I sure as hell didn't.

"Uh yeah, I set up their auto piloted shuttle. Why?"

"That's where I need to go," I told him.

"Okay. I'll see if I can get a team—"

"No team," I cut him off. "You pilot."

"Uh, okay. Sir? Can I ask what you're doing?

"I'm doing what the rescue team has failed to do. I'll explain fully later," I told him.

"Okay."

"Do you mind coming with me? I… I might need some help."

"Of course. I'm not cleared for in field action, though. This will be off the record right?"

"Absolutely. I'm not cleared yet either."

"What's the extent of your injuries? No one told me," he asked.

He didn't know? That was good. If he knew I was blind, then he would definitely not be approving of this. "I'll tell you later."

"Okay. Well, I'll get to work on your chopper. See you in a little bit," he said, then hung up.

I pocketed my phone and continued down the main hall. How was I going to get out of here and to headquarters? It's not like I could drive there. I sighed. I needed Quatre. But he would never agree with this, which left me only one choice. I didn't like it at all, but I needed to do this to save Heero. I heard a cop down the hall a little way and made my plan in an instant. I fumbled around like an idiot, playing up the role, then purposefully collided with the cop. He fell to the ground, me going with him. I fumbled around in 'confusion' for a while, sneakily slipping out his gun and slipping it into the waist line of my hospital issue sweats.

"I'm so sorry, sir! I'm so sorry!" I apologized as the cop helped me up.

"It's okay, kid. Do you need any help?" he asked, keeping a hand on my elbow to make sure I was steady.

"No, I think I'll be okay," I reassured him.

"Okay, just be a little more careful," he told me, then was gone.

I couldn't suppress the grin. Now I just needed to find Quatre and force him to help me get out of here and to headquarters.

"Duo?! How the hell…" Quatre's voice said from right behind me.

"I need to do this Quatre," I said, turning to face him. I hoped that I could try and convince him before I moved to plan B.

"Do what?!"

"Find Heero."

"If you think for a second that I'm going to allow you to—"

"Dammit Quatre! Get your head out of your ass and look at the facts. I'm dieing. Nothing can change that. Instead of wasting away in a hospital bed, I might as well make myself useful and find Heero."

"But—"

"No buts. I can't do this alone. I need your help," I begged.

"No. I'm not going to allow this," he said firmly, his mind made up.

I exhaled sharply. Time to make him reconsider. Plan B. I inconspicuously slipped the gun out of my pants and pressed it into his stomach, stepping close to him to conceal the gun.

"I really didn't want to do this, but I need your help. If you aren't going to give it willingly, then I'll force you. Now, take me to your car," I demanded.

"Y-You wouldn't," he stammered.

"Oh, but I would," I shot back, cocking the gun. "Now take me to your car. And I'll know whether or not you are taking me to the parking garage, so you'd better not try and pull anything."

He sighed, then started walking. I slipped the gun back into my waist line and followed him, keeping a hand on his arm. I tried to act like the simple blind man leaning on his friend for support. I put on the innocent face and followed Quatre to his car. He was good and didn't try and pull anything. He helped me into the SUV, then climbed into the driver's seat.

"Where do you need me to take you?" he asked, disapproval covering his tone.

"Take me to headquarters," I demanded, pulling out the gun and setting it on my lap.

I tried to keep a straight face. I hated doing this to him. But if he wouldn't help me on his own, then… I tried to think about what I'd do if he called my bluff. I couldn't shoot him. No, but maybe I could shoot him in the foot or graze him or something. Give him a little encouragement. I'd have to apologize to him later for all of this.

"When we get there, I need you to help me find my uniform, then get me into the hanger. And I'm also going to need help out on the field, so you're coming with me," I told him, my voice hard, giving nothing away.

"Fine," he growled. "And what if someone catches us?"

"You are going to make sure that doesn't happen."

It was quiet, then he stopped the car and helped me out. I could tell he was taking me in through the back door. I remembered that there was a back door that lead straight to the locker room, so that's probably where we were going.

"Locker number six-six-six. Combo twenty three- seven- thirteen," I told him and I heard the locker pop open.

Remembering the guns I kept in there, I pulled out mine and held it at him. He backed off and I quickly changed.

"You change too. Remember that you're coming with me," I told him. "Please Quatre, just let me do this."

"I know why your doing it, and I know that I'd want to do the same thing. But that doesn't make it any less stupid."

"I can afford to be stupid," I responded and heard another locker open.

I slipped on my own dog tags over Heero's, then replaced the cop's wimpy 9mm hand gun for my Glock. I also pulled out my Magnum. Heero had given me this gun a long time ago and I hardly ever used it. I knew Quatre would be arming himself too, so I hoped that I had changed his mind. I slipped on my sunglasses, not knowing if anyone could tell that I was blind just by looking at my eyes.

He led me out of the locker room and off towards the hanger. Agent Walker greeted us there and helped me on board.

"Did you get the supplies?" I asked him. That was the hardest part about deploying. Getting all the right supplies together.

"Yeah." I located where his voice was coming from and 'made eye contact' so that he wouldn't realize that I couldn't see.

"What about rifles? What were you able to get?"

"I got my hands on a M4 Carbine, two AK-47s, a Colt m16a4, and two Galils."

"Awesome," I smiled. He had gotten the big guns. "What about ammo?"

"I was able to get three spare mags for each gun."

"Perfect."

He headed up into the cockpit and started up the engines. As we took off, Quatre put three packs together.

"Who wants what rifles? Chose what you're comfortable carrying and firing," I said, finding the crate with the machine guns in them.

"I want an AK-47. I don't care what other one I get," Walker called.

"You'll get an AK-47 and a Galil," I called back up to him. "Any preferences Quatre?"

"No," he answered shortly.

"Fine. Then you get a AK-47 and the M4. I'll take the Colt and the Galil."

I heard him sort out the ammo into the three packs and tossed one to me. I distributed out the guns and picked up my first rifle, which felt like the Colt, and strapped it to my back, then took the Galil and kept it in front of me.

"We'll be landing in five minutes, sir," Walker called.

"Roger that. We all ready, Quatre?"

"Yes."

I took a deep breath, all my pain disappearing. I was going to find Heero. I had to.

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**I had to do a lot of research on guns for both this chapter and the next... it was kinda wierd XD. Anyway, please review.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Sorry I didn't post this yesterday. I completely forgot about it. Shame on me XP Anyway, sorry, and enjoy.**

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Chapter 6

The chopper landed and I jumped out. I motioned for Quatre to run ahead of me so that I could follow his footsteps. The difference between running around through a hospital and I forest was that hospitals were noisy. We stopped after we reached the forest and set up camp. Quatre informed me that it was dark out and that's why we had to stop.

"I'm sorry, Quatre," I apologized over my instant dinner.

"For what?"

"For pulling a gun on you," I answered.

"Am I missing something?" Walker asked over a mouthful of food.

"The only way I could get out of the hospital was with Quatre's help. He needed a little encouraging," I answered, ashamed with myself.

"It's okay. I would've done the exact same thing," Quatre reassured me.

"So you never did tell me your injuries," Walker prompted.

"Well I guess I should start with the fact that I'm dieing. Advanced kidney failure," I explained.

"Oh, damn… I…"

"It's okay. I've accepted it. I just want to make sure Heero doesn't come to the same fate," I said, my voice breaking.

"Is that it?"

"Well, no." I needed to tell him. "I'm blind."

"What?! What the hell are you doing out here, Maxwell?!" Walker exploded.

"I need to make sure Heero is okay. I'm not going to die not knowing," I defended, my voice firm. "I know how to take care of myself under extreme circumstances. I don't want you worrying about me. I know how to get around. I might not be able to see, but all my other senses, especially my hearing, are all very advanced."

"Damn, you have guts, sir," he said, calming down. I knew he'd understand.

"Well, when you're under a death sentence anyway…"

"Will you be able to function alright?"

"Yes," I answered honestly. If I didn't need to be concerned about my body, then I could push through anything.

It was silent for a while, only the sounds of us eating and wildlife scurrying around. I needed to break the silence or do something productive. It was giving my mind too much freedom to think about Heero and the situation he might be in. I couldn't think of a way to start a conversation, so I brought my Galil out in front of me and disassembled it so I could clean it.

I had just finished separating the two main parts when there was a faint noise behind me. I pulled my Colt off my back and whirled around, listening.

"What—" Quatre started.

"Shh!" I hissed, slowly moving forward.

I positioned the Colt into one hand and felt around with my other hand. I could've sworn that I had heard footsteps in the dead leaves. I was almost positive it wasn't an animal either. It sounded again right behind the tree I was leaning on. I silently eased around it and grabbed at the unknown assailant. I got my fingers around his collar and let the Colt dangle by its strap on my shoulder so I could pull out something more practical, like my Magnum, and press it to his head.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" the man's voice quavered, and it didn't sound familiar.

"Identify yourself!" I demanded, dragging him back to our makeshift camp.

"Agent Ryan Kendal, third class agent with the Preventers," he answered quickly.

"Commanding officer!" I demanded. Let's see if he was actually a Preventers agent.

"Colonel Heero Yuy, sir," he answered.

I froze, my breath caught. "Where is he?" I demanded, my voice shaky.

"I-I don't know, sir. I lost him the team in the ambush, sir."

"What happened?" I asked him, lowering my gun.

"We were just moving up the hill when we were attacked from behind. I-I don't really remember what happened. It was all so fast. One moment, Colonel Yuy was giving us commands, then the next second we were being ambushed. The next thing I remember after that is being all alone."

I sighed. "And you don't know where they were taken?"

It was silent, meaning he had probably nodded or something.

"Answer out loud, soldier, I can't see," I demanded.

"Sorry, sir. I don't know where they are, but I don't think they were taken, sir," he responded.

"What do you mean, they weren't taken?" I demanded.

"I didn't hear the sounds of cuffs, or anyone being dragged away, or anything like that. They ambushed us, then it was silent. I don't know what to think…"

I sighed, releasing my hold on his collar. I sat back against the tree again, trying to hide my tears. I quickly picked up the Galil to keep my mind focused.

"How long have you been a Preventer agent, Mr. Kendal?" Quatre asked him, trying to make him more comfortable. "You seem very young to be out in the field."

"This was my first mission," he answered. "I'm seventeen."

"Wow, you are young," Quatre responded.

"No offense, sir, but you seem young too."

Quatre laughed and it sounded so carefree.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your rank, sir? I'm just a private."

"Colonel. I'm Colonel Quatre Raberba Winner. That's Master Sergeant Jason Walker. And the brooding one is Colonel Duo Maxwell," Quatre introduced.

I just ignored his comment. I had a right to be brooding and I wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"You're Colonel Maxwell?" he asked.

"Yeah, have we met before?" I responded, keeping my eyes on my gun, even though I couldn't see it anyway.

"No, sir, but Colonel Yuy talked about you all the time," he answered. "I… He didn't mention that you were blind."

"It happened recently in a mission," I answered simply.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir."

"There's nothing to be sorry for," I told him.

"Sorry, sir."

I chuckled. "Don't apologize. It's a sign of weakness."

"Sor… I mean, okay, sir."

"And you don't have to call me 'sir'. I'm not your commanding officer."

"But you far outrank me, sir."

I sighed. "Fine, whatever. But if you change your mind, just call me Duo."

"Okay, sir."

I twisted around to grab one of the Galil's parts and pain shot through my stomach. I grabbed at my stomach and tried to hide the wince, but they all caught it.

"Are you okay, Duo?" Quatre asked at the same time as the Private asked, "What's wrong, sir?"

"Nothing. I'm fine," I reassured, grabbing up the part and snapping it onto the gun.

They let it go, and I heard the Private sit down against a tree in front of me.

"Do you have a weapon?" I asked him.

"I have my service pistol, but it only has three rounds left," he told me.

"Does anyone have 10mm ammo?" I asked.

"I do in my gun, but only half a clip," Quatre answered.

"Well give it to him. You have your rifles. Here," I told him, tossing him my Glock and an extra magazine for it.

"Thank you sir," he responded.

I nodded, going back to work on the Galil. It was much too quiet, but I was afraid to break the silence in a place like this. Out here, quiet was your best policy. I jammed the magazine back into the Galil, making a snapping noise in the darkness. I held the weapon in my hands for a moment, not sure what to do now. I could take apart the Colt, but that one was harder to work with even when you could see. I couldn't imagine trying to do it blind.

"Hey Private," I called to him.

"Yes, sir?"

"Do you know how to use one of these?" I asked him, holding up the Galil.

"Yes, sir."

"Then here you go,"

"Thanks, sir. And you can call me Ryan, sir," he told me, taking the gun.

"As soon as you start calling me Duo," I bargained with a grin.

"Okay, Duo sir."

I rolled my eyes at him, fishing out the Galil magazines. I couldn't determine them from the magazine for the Colt though and frowned in frustration.

"Which ones are the Galil clips?" I asked Quatre in frustration, dumping them all onto the ground.

"The Galil clip has three more grooves on the sides," Quatre hinted.

"Thanks," I mumbled, feeling the sides of the magazines.

I tossed the Galil mags to the Private, then pulled my Colt in front of me. I tried to fall asleep, but couldn't. My lungs were killing me and my chest seared. Thoughts of Heero ran through my head. Where could he possibly be? Was he in trouble? Was he hurt? I didn't want to think about it. I lay down on my side, my Colt set next to me ready to use if necessary. I closed my eyes, but couldn't sleep. Eventually, I heard the deep, heavy breathing of the other men. They had all gone to sleep, but I couldn't. I stood and stepped carefully through the camp, feeling around for the trees. I waned to get a layout of our surroundings, and I didn't have anything better to do.

Someone grabbed my ankle and I jumped, nearly dropping the Colt.

"Where are you going?" Quatre whispered.

"Out," I answered.

"Where?" he insisted.

I wasn't going to tell him 'just for a walk' because he'd insist on coming. I really just wanted to be alone, clear my head, think about…life. "I need to go piss."

"Oh, okay," he murmured, releasing my ankle.

I had been walking for only about two minutes when my phone buzzed in my pocket.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Maxwell?! Where the hell are you?!" Une screeched, making me flinch.

"Out," I answered, then shut off my phone. I didn't want her tracking me.

As I continued my walk, my knee started bothering me. I pushed it aside, memorizing the layout and obstacles, but also thinking. I found myself thinking about death and what came after it. I unconsciously found myself reaching for my cross, but finding that it was gone. That's when I remembered giving it to Quatre. I'd have to get that back in hopes that I'd be able to give it to Heero myself before I died.

After about ten minutes of aimless wandering and thinking, I stopped and turned back. It didn't take ten minutes to relieve yourself, so I knew Quatre would come out looking for me eventually. I back tracked my steps back to the camp and, when I got there, it was much too quiet. There wasn't even the sound of breathing. I raised my rifle up, listening.

"Dammit Colonel! Where the hell did you go, sir? We need to get out of—" Private Kendal started from right behind me, but was cut off by the sounds of rapid gunfire.

I ducked reflexively and dove behind the tree that was right next to me. I returned fire as best I could, letting off a stream of bullets where I guessed they ambush had come from.

"Private! What's going on?" I demanded, knowing he wouldn't have gone far from me. The best cover was in a group, even if your group member was blind.

"We were ambushed! It was just after you left. Colonel Quatre is freaking out. He thinks your dead," he responded.

"Did all of you guys make it out?" I asked him.

"Yes. We all got split up though. I don't know how the others are fairing, but if I've made it this far, hopefully they have too."

I let off more bullets and heard the sounds of bark exploding due to the return fire. I fished out the spare mags for all my guns and put them in my pockets for easy reach. I was glad that the spare mags of my Magnum were different from the ones for the Colt, because just then, the mag in the Colt clicked empty. I shoved in another one hundred round clip and continued fire.

My radio on my belt beeped and I pulled it off.

"What?" I demanded.

"Duo?! Oh my god. Where the hell are you?!" Quatre asked, his tone frantic.

"I have no freaking idea! Somewhere near the camp," I responded into the radio.

"I'll be there in a sec," he said and I shoved the radio back onto my belt.

The rapid fire started to slow. I eased up on the trigger. I needed to save my ammo.

"I'm here," Quatre said, just after I heard him and agent Walker approaching.

"Smart telling me it was you, Quatre. I almost put a bullet through your head," I joked.

"If you could find it," Quatre joked back.

"Do you know what is going on?" I asked him as he crouched next to me, his shoulder pressed up against mine in the tight space.

He fired off a few rounds, and judging by the kick of the gun, he was firing his M4.

"Sure you can handle that big gun, Q?" I teased. "It's almost as big as you are."

"Ha ha. I'm more worried about you. How are you holding up?"

"I feel like I'm dieing. Oh wait…" I teased.

We fired off more rounds, but then the enemy fire stopped. The sudden silence after the loud gunfire made my ears ring. I breathed in deep, the smell of gunpowder stinking in my nose. But there was something else too. Blood? Shit. Had I been hit? Or Quatre?

"Is someone hit?" I asked in a whisper, searching myself for bullet wounds. I did find a graze on my upper leg, but I couldn't differentiate that pain from the rest of my pain.

"It's just you, Duo," Quatre answered. "Can't you feel that? There is a freaking hole in your leg."

"Yeah, I feel it, but I feel it _everywhere_!" I retorted.

I heard movement from where our enemies had been firing from. So we hadn't killed them all, they had just given up. It sounded like only one, so I stood and eased my way over to them, ducking behind trees every chance I got. I slung my Colt over my shoulder and pulled out my Magnum. The assailant was hiding behind the tree right in front of me. I don't even think he knew I was there. Easing around the tree, I pointed the gun to where I thought he was.

"Don't move! Preventer agent! Let me see your hands!" I demanded. "Reach for that gun and I swear to God I'll put a bullet through your forehead!" I'd like him to think that I could actually see him.

Just then Quatre came to my rescue. "I don't think so, bud," he growled and I reached out to grab the leech's hair, dragging him to our camp.

I cuffed him and then sat back against a tree right in front of him.

"What are you doing, Duo? Just shoot him and let's get out of here," Walker urged.

"Why did you ambush us?" I asked the guy, ignoring Walker.

"Seriously, Duo. We don't have time for interrogations. We need to get out of here," Quatre agreed with Walker.

"Shut up!" I yelled at the two. "What did you do with the team you ambushed four days ago?"

When the guy responded it was raspy and hoarse and had an evil ring to it. "We killed them. All of them."

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**Uh oh... Was it good? I liked this chapter, but the next one is better XD I'll try and post again this afternoon, and I'll try not to forget. *puts sticky note on computer* Please review!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Yay. Two posts in one day XD Enjoy!**

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Chapter 7

Growls erupted from my chest as I grabbed the man's collar and slammed him up against the tree. My shoulder and whole body screamed as I lifted him off his feet by his shirt. I refused to believe what this asshole was telling me. No way would Heero let himself be killed by someone like this freak. He was the perfect soldier.

"You're lying," I hissed. "What did you do with them?"

"They are dead. Our orders were to kill them."

"That man behind me is one of those soldiers! You didn't kill him! And you didn't kill the others! Tell me what you did with them," I snarled, my voice hard.

He was quiet. I could feel his smugness. I lowered him back to his feet, just so that I could slam my fist into his face.

"Tell me where they are!"

He was still silent, so I brought my fist up into his gut, shocking his lungs and causing him to double over, gasping for breath. I released his collar and he crumpled to the floor. Most of the torture techniques I knew called for precision and accuracy, so being blind didn't help. But I also knew how to beat the shit out of guy too, and you didn't need to see to be able to that. I brought my steel toed boot into his side, breaking a few ribs. I found his neck with my foot and put some weight on it. That left my bad knee supporting all my weight, though, causing my whole leg to shake.

"Tell me," I demanded.

"We opened fire on them. Our orders were to kill all intruders. Some could've escaped. We didn't hang around to find out if we had gotten them all," the man finally answered, through his searing lungs, broken ribs, and compressed windpipe.

I removed my foot and hauled him to his feet. I removed my Magnum from my holster and jammed it into his stomach. I could feel the leech shaking in fear. Not so tough anymore, are we? I mused to myself.

"Take me to where you ambushed them," I demanded.

He didn't move, didn't say anything. I cocked the gun.

"You don't need this anymore," I told him, shooting at his hand.

I must've gotten lucky and actually hit it, because he cried out, stumbling back into a tree.

"I don't need you anymore. I want the ambush point, but if you are unwilling to give it, then I'm sure I can find it on my own. If you help me, I might consider letting you go," I bluffed. "But, if you refuse, then I will kill you. Slow, and painfully. A bullet in the stomach is a terrible way to go. It's incapacitating, so you're lying on the ground, unable to move, while your stomach acid leaks into the rest of your body and you slowly start to bleed out. Only after about five to eight hours of intense, paralyzing pain, will you finally drift into unconsciousness and death will finally have you. So? Have I changed your mind?"

He was still silent, so I pressed the gun into his stomach.

"Have it your way then," I smiled.

"Wait, wait! I'll take you! Don't shoot!" the man finally gave in, just before I could pull the trigger.

"Fine, then start walking," I demanded.

He turned around and I grabbed the back of his collar in one hand, the other holding the Magnum into his back. Someone ran up next to me, pulling out a gun and putting it into the man's back.

"I'll take him from here," Quatre told me.

"Thanks," I said, my adrenaline rush wearing off and my whole body nearly collapsing.

Suddenly, the man spun around, the back of his heal coming in contact with my jaw. I fell to the ground, but spun around, kicking the guys legs out from under him. I jumped on top of him and pounded my fist into his nose. All of my senses starting kicking in due to my lack of eyesight. But it wasn't enough. The leech's fist came into my jaw and I nearly fell back, my already struggling body hardly able to cope with the attack. I returned punches, trying to land incapacitating blows, but unable to find the right spots. Suddenly, his fist came right into my side. I gasped at the intense pain as my already damaged kidneys absorbed the hard blow. I fought off the unconsciousness as I quickly located the two pressure points on his neck and squeezed them. When he was unable to move, I let my head hang and my eyes close as I wrapped my free arm around my stomach.

"I got him," Walkers told me, lifting him up.

I rolled onto my back, breathing deep and clutching at my side. My hand felt slightly wet, and I realized that the guy had ripped my stitches. I laid my head back as I felt Quatre tending to me. But our med kits didn't carry needles and surgical thread, so unless we could somehow slow my bleeding, then I would bleed out before the kidney failure would kill me. That meant that my time to find Heero had just been severely compromised. Calling on all of my training, I was able to slow down my heart rate to keep the blood flow throughout my body low. If the blood flow was slowed, then it would take longer for me to bleed out.

"Are you okay, Duo?" Quatre answered, helping me to my feet.

"I'm not even going to answer that question," I grumbled. "Start walking!" I yelled at the leech, picking up my m16 and aiming the big gun at where I thought the man was.

"Is he… blind?" the leech stuttered.

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" I asked, readjusting my aim to match the direction of his voice.

"And you allow him to carry a gun?!"

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" Quatre repeated.

.

"Better get your ass moving before I put a round in it," I threatened, cocking my Colt.

I heard his footsteps start and I walked behind him and Quatre, Ryan helping to support me. I was hunched over slightly due to the pain and Ryan put an arm around my waist and pulled my arm over his shoulders.

"Thanks, Private," I muttered, my hand pressed into my split side to try and control the minimal bleeding.

"No problem, sir," he answered simply, leading me behind Quatre.

"Status?" Walker asked from behind me.

"Nothing new. Except for the split stitches of course," I told him.

It was silent as we walked through the trees. But as we walked, the kidney failure was starting to make itself known. I faintly recalled my doctor listing off the effects and recognizing a few of them. Like fatigue was a big one. I felt so exhausted and Ryan was basically dragging me because I was almost too tired to move my own feet. And the sleeping problems. I thought he must've made a mistake when he mentioned both fatigue and sleeping problems, but I was realizing that wasn't the case. Also loss of appetite. Because, as we stopped to eat and rest, I realized that I was just pushing my food around and not really eating it.

"Is something wrong, Duo?" I heard Quatre ask me as I put my untouched food on the ground.

"Yes, Quatre. Everything is wrong. Heero is missing, this leech has busted my stitches, he tells me Heero is probably dead, my kidney failure is starting to effect me, my whole body is in this… unbearable pain, and… I might not even make it through the night. I may never see Heero again," I answered, my voice fading.

It was silent for a while. Uncomfortably silent.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Almost two in the morning," Quatre answered.

"Really?" I asked, surprised that I couldn't tell it was night time.

"Yeah."

"Then I'm going to try and sleep," I responded. "Tie him to a tree or something before you go to bed. And if I don't make it through the night, tell Heero that I love him."

I heard a sniffle and I think he nodded, so I laid down and closed my eyes. The fatigue pulled me under quickly, but the sleeping problems woke me up many times during the rest of the night. But I did remain alive, and at the crack of dawn, I was up and fumbling around for the medical kit. I rewrapped my bandages and wanted to give myself a shot of morphine, but I couldn't determine which needle contained what. Just then I felt a hand on my back and I spun around, nearly falling over as I drew my gun.

"It's just me," Quatre reassured me.

"God, you scared me. I guess the pain is messing with my hearing, cause you completely snuck up on me," I exhaled, holstering my gun.

"Are you looking for morphine?" he asked me, rummaging through the kit.

"Yeah," I sighed.

I felt a needle in my arm and the pain started to numb, but didn't go away. I helped him pack up camp, then we woke the others and started on our way again.

"Une withdrew Trowa's team," Quatre told me as he supported my weight. Walker had taken over leech watch and Quatre had relieved Ryan of Duo watch.

"Why?" I asked, frustrated. "We need all the help we can get."

"His men were really weak. That's why Heero had to come in the first place. Having them out here this long was really taking a toll on them," Quatre explained. "Une called me last night after you crashed."

"Ugh. What did she say? Other than Trowa being withdrawn," I frowned.

"She asked me how you were holding up. And she wanted to thank you for risking your life to save her men," he responded.

"What life?! I'm dieing already!"

"But she's still pissed. You busted your cuffs, stole a gun from a cop, kidnapped me at gunpoint, stole a chopper and supplies, and landed in an unclear zone without authorization. She wanted me to warn you that, under different circumstances—"

"Different circumstances meaning that if I wasn't already under a death sentence," I clarified.

"Upon your return, you would've been arrested, removed from your position as Preventer agent, and sentenced to minimum ten years in a maximum security prison."

I nodded. "Cool. I get a rap sheet before I die."

"She's not pressing charges. And neither am I," Quatre answered. "And under the circumstances, I don't think the cop will either."

I nodded and everyone was quiet for a while. Then I remembered my cross.

"Hey, do you think I could have my cross back? Just in case we find Heero before I kick the bucket. I'd like to give it to him myself," I murmured to Quatre.

"Sure thing," he replied in a shaky voice, and I felt the cold metal being slipped over my head.

"Thanks."

It was quiet for a long while as the leech led us further up the hill. I played with the end of my braid with my free hand, trying to keep my mind off of Heero. Suddenly, my dragging feet caught on something under the leaves and I tripped. Quatre managed to hold me up and get me back on my feet before I took a nose dive into the leaves.

"Oh my…" he breathed.

"We're here," the leech sneered. "I told you."

My breath caught and my heart stopped.

"W-What did I j-just trip over?" I stammered.

"A-A body," Quatre answered, his voice breaking.

"Ours?"

He didn't answer, which was answer enough. I tried to force air down into my lungs and tried to keep my balance on my shaky legs. My eyes started to sting and I fought the tears.

"H-How many?"

"I don't know."

"Do you see…"

It was silent for only a few painfully fast heartbeats, but then he answered. "No. But I can't see all of them. Some are buried under the leaves."

I heaved a sigh, but not allowing myself to hope too much. For once I was so glad that I couldn't see anything. I'm not sure I wanted these images ingrained in my brain. Quatre told me to wait while he went to help the others count the bodies. I heard Quatre gasp and my breath caught. I couldn't hold my own weight anymore and I fell to my knees in the leaves.

"I-Is it him?" I asked, my voice breaking.

"No, it's… It's Lieutenant Cain," Quatre called back, his voice shaking.

A tear rolled down my cheek, but I found that I was relieved that it wasn't Heero. I pulled out my Magnum, the gun that Heero had given to me, and kissed the barrel. Then I cocked the gun as quietly as I could and played with it in my hands, waiting for them to tell me they had found Heero. I would use it on the leech first, then on myself, I decided. It went against all my religious beliefs to take my own life, but I convinced myself that, since I was dieing anyway, I'd just be putting myself out of my misery. What was the difference between dieing now peacefully, or in a day or two painfully?

My head started to spin and I realized that, due to my rapid heart rate, I was starting to bleed heavily from my split side. I clutched the Magnum tighter in my hands, turning it to face my chest, ready to pull the trigger the second they told me Heero was dead. I decided then that I'd let someone else do away with the leech. I didn't want to wait just those few seconds after they told me they found Heero before joining him. I hoped they'd tell me soon, cause I don't know how much longer I could hold on.

I heard footsteps way off to my northwest, but they were faint and I'm sure that no one else heard them. It was probably the leech wandering around. I shrugged it off, knowing that the others wouldn't let him out of their sight.

Suddenly, a few bullets were let off and the footsteps ran closer.

"Don't take another step or I will…" a beautifully familiar voice demanded, but faded off.

My heart stopped and I couldn't breath. Was it really…?

"Duo?" the voice gasped.

I dropped the Magnum and, ignoring the crippling pain and the incapacitating dizziness, I threw myself at my lover's voice. I could stop the tears as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed down his jaw and cheek until I finally found his lips. Heero pulled away gasping for breath.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked me.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay before I…" I slurred. I could feel the blood running down my side. I could hardly stand and unconsciousness was right there. I couldn't fight it anymore.

"Before you what?" he asked, but I could hardly hear him.

"I love you," I told him, handing him my cross before death grabbed me and took me in its greedy hands.

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**Ohjeez... So, only two more chapters now... That makes me sad... Well, I'll post the next chapter tomorrow... hopefully XD**


	9. Chapter 8

**Yay! Another chapter! XD Enjoy!**

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Chapter 8

This wasn't death. Death wasn't supposed to be this painful. And I'm pretty sure you didn't regain consciousness for brief periods of time when you were dead.

"…got to get a chopper here now! No. You listen to _me!_ He is _dieing!_ If you don't get a dammed transport here now, he will bleed out!" I heard Heero's voice yell as someone before I was out again.

…

"…might not make it. He has lost way too much blood," an unfamiliar voice said above the sounds of chopper blades.

"Well try! Here, take my blood! We have the same type!" Heero demanded.

"We'll try, but I can't…"

…

"…into the ER, now! You come with us, sir. We need to get you prepped for the transplant…"

….

When I actually came to for real this time, I opened my eyes to the familiar blackness and the familiar hospital sounds and smells. I ached all over and couldn't move without a near shocking sensation throughout my entire body. How was I still alive? That's what I wanted to know. I had no idea how long it's been since we found Heero, but however long it was, I should've bled out by now, or my kidneys should've shut down. But I didn't really care about that right now. I was trying to figure out whether finding Heero was a dream or not. Well there was one way to find out.

"Heero?" I muttered, feeling around for him.

It was quiet, which made my heart speed up. Had that all really been a dream? Fate would be so cruel. But then I heard the faint breathing of someone off to my right. It was slow and deep, so whoever it was, was most likely asleep. Which meant that it was probably Heero. I exhaled the breath I had been holding, causing my lungs to sear and send me into a coughing fit, which in turn made my entire body sear.

"Duo?" Heero's voice muttered sleepily.

Suddenly, someone was holding me tight and nuzzling my neck. I moved to wrap my arms around Heero's strong body, but realized that I was restrained to the bed… again. I realized as Heero pulled away, that he was wearing a hospital gown.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice rough.

"You passed out from lack of blood just after I found you."

"You mean after _I_ found _you_," I corrected.

He chuckled and the sound made my heart soar. I had missed his laughs, his voice, everything. "We thought for a while that you weren't going to make it. Your kidneys crashed just before we got to the hospital. We did the transplant hoping it wasn't too late," his voice broke.

"Wait… did _you_ give me your kidney?"

"Yes, why?"

"You just had your kidney removed and you out of your bed?! What are you doing?! Get back in bed, you baka!" I chastised, pushing him away weakly.

"I had to see if you were alright. They were still unsure whether or not you would live when they took you away from me."

"Well get back in bed before you bust your stitches," I demanded.

He leaned down and kissed me, but then started to leave. I didn't want him to leave. I needed him here with me.

"Wait. I didn't say you had to go back to _your_ bed," I told him, my voice much softer.

His footsteps stopped, and I heard his bare feet turn on the smooth floor.

"But… your restrained," he pointed out.

"Oh, right," I huffed.

"I should be going back anyway. If Une or my doctor sees that I'm gone, they'll kill me. I'll ask if I can come see you for a visit," he promised.

"Kay. Love you," I told him.

"Love you too." Then he was gone.

I sighed, but then cringed. I was still very tired. I tried to keep my eyes open, to wait for Heero to come back, but I couldn't. I found myself drifting off, no matter how hard I fought it. But just before I fell asleep, the door opened and a wheelchair rolled in. I opened my eyes, turning to 'look'. Heavy footsteps rolled the chair over to my bedside.

"You have a visitor, Mr. Maxwell," my doctor's voice told me. "Good to see you're awake."

"Heero?"

"I'm here," Heero told me, patting my restrained hand.

"Can you please take these off? I have a feeling I'm not going anywhere soon," I groaned.

"I didn't—"

"The only reason I escaped was because Heero was missing and nobody was doing shit about it," I interrupted angrily, not wanting to listen to his rant.

"But you put two guards in hospital," my doctor countered.

"What?" Heero asked, confusion covering his tone.

"They told me you were missing and I… I kind of lost it," I explained.

"Kind of?" he scoffed. "More like he had a complete mental breakdown."

"Well I only did that stuff cause Heero was in trouble and he needed my help," I defended. "And now he's here and I'm not letting him leave, so it wont happen again."

"You're just lucky we aren't pressing charges."

Pressing charges... Shit. "Do you know if Une is pressing charges?" I asked Heero. "The only reason she said she wasn't gonna arrest me was because I was dieing..."

"I haven't seen her," Heero told me.

"Well what I had started to say was that I didn't put those cuffs on," my doctor said.

"Shit," I breathed with a cough, giving a weak jerk on the police issue handcuffs.

I heard Heero's bare feet hit the ground and then head for the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked him at the same time our doctor asked, "You need to stay in the wheelchair."

"To go talk to Une," Heero snapped back in an angry tone, slamming the door.

"Damn. He's about to get himself fired," I exhaled, but it was a waste of breath, because just then the door closed behind my doctor.

I jerked against the cuffs, but pain shot through my shoulder. "Or not," I grumbled, trying to figure a way out of here.

Before I could think of anything, the door opened.

"I didn't know that you were awake," Une said.

"I'm not," I told her mockingly, hoping she'd leave.

"I hate that I have to do this, but Duo Maxwell, you are under arrest for burglary, armed kidnapping, and theft of military transport," Une recited mechanically.

"But he had a good reason," Heero told her, his voice monotone and hard. "You can't arrest him. He risked his life to save our team."

"Were… were you and Private Kendal the only survivors?" I asked Heero quietly, forgetting about the charges for the moment.

It was silent, but that was answer enough. I took a shaky breath, quickly wiping away the tears before anyone could see them.

"So now what? I assume that you've already had me sacked. When's the trial?" I asked Une, trying to sound nonchalant about the whole thing.

"I'm going to try and get you out of this, Duo. You don't belong in cuffs. You're a hero for what you did. I'll see if I can get the charges dropped, but I don't think I'll be able to get you your job back," she apologized. "The trial is tomorrow, actually."

"Why so soon?" Heero asked.

"I'm hoping to get a sympathetic vote from the jury," she admitted.

"Hey, if it works," I shrugged.

"You shouldn't be on trial at all!" Heero protested, collapsing back into his wheelchair.

"I don't like it anymore than you do," Une put in sourly.

"Well can you at least take these off?" I asked, weakly pulling at the cuff. "I'm so screwed up I can hardly move. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

"Alright. But they have to go back on before the trial," Une told me, releasing my sore wrists from the cuffs.

The second they were off, Heero was lying next to me, pulling my weak body into his. I sighed in content. I couldn't put it into words how relieved I was to have him back here with me. But then I remembered all our men who didn't make it. I groped for my cross, and pulled it up to my lips. Heero sighed next to me and I wrapped my arms around his waist, ignoring the pain in my shoulder.

"You gave me my cross back," I pointed out.

"It's where it belongs now."

"Thank you. Where you injured at all?" I asked him.

"Shot in the shoulder, that's it though," he answered, absentmindedly stroking my braid.

"You make it sound like nothing," I scoffed.

"It is compared with your injuries."

"Any new ones?" I asked.

"Shot in the leg. That's it. But you did stress all of your old injuries," he told me.

I exhaled, trying to fight off the exhaustion, but losing. It wasn't long before I had drifted off.

…

"But isn't it true, Mr. Maxwell, that you committed these crimes and breeched Preventers protocol to save not your team, but the teams' leader, Colonel Heero Yuy?" the annoying prosecutor asked me. He sounded like the kind of guy who was all wiry and thin with a hunched back and bones poking everywhere with beady little eyes and thinning hair. At least that's what I liked to imagine as he continued to press me with annoying questions, trying to smear me as some psychotic lunatic that has it out for the entire world.

"Yes, but—" I started.

"So you're admitting a personal reason for your actions?" he interrupted, his dress shoes clicking across the wood floor and up to where I was sitting in the courtroom.

"You're making me sound like an evil person for wanting to save—"

"Answer the question, Mr. Maxwell," the prosecutor interrupted… again.

"Will you let me finish a damn sentence?! Yes, my primary motive was to save Heero Yuy. But I was also there to save my team who was in some serious shit," I shot back at him.

"Watch your mouth in my courtroom, Mr. Maxwell," the judge ordered.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"No offense, Mr. Maxwell, but honestly what use did you think you'd be? You were blind, suffering from multiple internal injuries, not to mention complete and advanced kidney failure. General Une had her entire search and rescue team out there, along with Colonel Trowa Barton's team, all full of much more capable men and women than yourself."

"I had given them two days—"

"Given them?" he interrupted. "Isn't it true that you were unconscious those entire two days? Unconscious due to, upon receiving the news of your teams disappearance, suffering a complete psychotic breakdown and attacking Colonel Quatre Winner, along with a handful of hospital security guards. And isn't it true, that upon waking up from your sedation, you proceeded to free yourself from your restraints, steal a security guard's service pistol, then kidnap Colonel Quatre Winner at gunpoint?"

"Objection! Mr. Maxwell isn't on trial for the burglary of the cop's gun, or the kidnap of Colonel Quatre Winner, so those charges aren't to be mentioned," my lawyer cut in.

"It goes to the defendant's state of mind," the prosecutor defended.

"Overruled. Answer the question, Mr. Maxwell," the judge ruled.

"Yes," I answered quietly.

"Can you repeat that so the jury can hear?" the judge asked.

"Yes."

"Yes to what?" the prosecutor demanded.

"Yes to all of them," I answered with a glare.

It was silent for a moment and I hoped to god that he was finally done. But of course, he wasn't.

"Do you have a personal relationship with Colonel Heero Yuy?" He was right in front of me now in the witness stand. I could smell his horrid breath.

"Why does that matter—"

"Answer the question," he demanded.

"I don't see how that's relevant to—"

"Answer the question!"

"Objection! This isn't relevant!" I called.

"You can't call objections, Mr. Maxwell," the judge told me from her chair right next to me.

"But I can. Objection. Relevance," my lawyer declared.

"It goes towards his ulterior motives for his numerous crimes and breeching Preventers protocol," the prosecutor argued.

"Overruled. Answer the question, Mr. Maxwell," the judge ordered.

I sighed. "Yes, we have a personal relationship."

"And what it the status of yours and Colonel Yuy's relationship?"

"I don't see how—"

"Answer the question, Mr. Maxwell, or you'll be in contempt of court," the judge ordered.

I rolled my head with an exasperated sigh. "He's my… He's my boyfriend," I finally answered.

"So you did have an ulterior motive. You didn't go to save your team. You went to save the teams' leader, and your lover, Colonel Heero Yuy."

"I went to save all of them!"

"But you didn't care for your team. You only managed to save Colonel Yuy. How convenient," he said, a smug grin in his voice.

That hit a nerve, and I remembered the dead bodies of our team strewn in the leaves. I bolted up out of wheelchair, my body screaming, and slammed my fists into the wooden rail of the witness stand.

"_Convenient?!_ My team is _dead!_ I couldn't save the rest of them because, just before we located Heero, we stumbled upon the mass graveyard of my team! Heero and Private Ryan Kendal were the only survivors of a massacre! If I could have saved my men, I would have! So don't you _dare _tell me that I don't care for my team!" I yelled at him, trying as best as I could to make 'eye contact' with the cold hearted man so that I could glare daggers at him. I was hardly able to hold back the tears as they threatened to spill over.

It was silent in the courtroom for many moments. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I carefully lowered myself into the wheelchair, grasping at my searing abdomen.

"I'm all through," the prosecutor stated, heading back to his chair.

"Does the defense have any questions for this witness?" the judge asked.

"No, your honor," my lawyer answered.

"Very well. Has the jury reached a decision?" the judged asked as a court guard rolled me back to my spot at the defense table.

"We have, your honor," the foreman announced and I held my breath.

"On the charges of theft of government property and landing a government aircraft without clearance, how do you find the defendant?" the judge asked.

"We find the defendant, Duo Maxwell, not guilty or all charges."

…

"I have a surprise for you!" Une declared, entering my hospital room.

After the trial, they had escorted me back to the hospital, against my will. Une had told me she had some business to take care of, and I was afraid that this 'surprise' was what she had needed to take care of. I heard the sound of a box opening, then Heero caught his breath.

"Well it _sounds_ like a box opening…" I prompted.

"Oh right. Here," she said handing me the box.

I felt inside the box and pulled out a thick wallet like piece of leather. I opened it and felt the cool metal of my badge inside. I exhaled with a smile.

"After your trial, I convinced the board to let you back on as a Preventer agent. You are still on paid leave until your blindness wears off, but, welcome back Colonel Maxwell."

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**So? Only one more chapter after this, and it's just a short epilogue. I'll try and post it tomorrow morning before school. Please review.**


	10. Epilogue

**So this is just a little short ending chapter. I wasn't happy leaving the last chapter as the end, so... here you go! Enjoy! XD**

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Epilogue

"The beach?" I questioned as I opened the car door.

"Yes. How did you know?" Heero asked, his voice not deviating from his normal monotone.

"I can smell the salt and can feel the mist. You forget that all my other senses are much more advanced."

He lightly placed the tips of his fingers on the small of my back, leading me closer to the ocean smell. My bare feet suddenly left the rough asphalt and stepped on the soft sand. Heero led me down the gradual sloping beach and my toes suddenly hit the chilling water. He led me in ankle deep, then stopped me. I turned to face him, keeping one hand on his arm to make sure he was still here.

"Can we go swimming?" I asked him, the cold water feeling good on my feet.

"I'm not so sure that's such a good idea," Heero started.

"Aw come on, please? By judging the slope of the ground, I can tell which way the shore is. By the movement of the water, I can tell both where shore is and if there is about to be a wave. By the stillness of the water I can tell where the rock outcroppings are. Also, by judging the heat of the water, I can tell how deep I am and which way is the surface. Besides, you'll be with me right? You won't let me drown. Well, if I did drown, then you wouldn't have to take care of me anymore, so it would actually benefit you—" I teased.

Heero slapped me in the back of the head. What happened next made me gasp and collapse to my knees, splashing myself and Heero with water. With that gentle hit, something in my head clicked or snapped or something. I was suddenly light headed, dizzy, completely disoriented, and had a splitting migraine. Heero fell to his knees next to me, spraying me with water and asking what was wrong, shaking my shoulders. I clutched at my head, shut my eyes, and clenched my teeth. But, as soon as it had happened, it stopped. I hesitated, then slowly opened my eyes.

I gasped, then closed my eyes tight again. Did I just… I opened my eyes again and sure enough, I saw the fuzzy green of Heero's cargo shorts in front of me. I could see the fuzzy blue water meet the blurry light brown sand. I turned my head to see the glowing sun touching the fuzzy blue ocean and dieing the sky a blurry orange and red and yellow.

"Duo?" Heero questioned, concerned.

I turned to see his face. It was still fuzzy, but not as fuzzy as it was after the accident. I could see his lips, his nose, his cobalt blue eyes, and his dark pupils. It was still all blurry, but at least it wasn't black anymore. I raised a shaky hand and gently ran a hand over his soft cheek.

"Are you alright?" he asked me.

"I can see," I breathed.

Before he could respond, I pressed my lips to his. But it was soon interrupted as the waves came in, crashing against our sitting bodies and knocking us over. I laughed and rolled onto my back as the water rolled back away around us. The water swirled up around us as the tide came in, then flowed back down again, my braid following the current. I heaved my dripping wet body to my feet and took in the sight. It was such a relief to have my sight back. Even with the return of my sight, my hearing remained advanced. I heard Heero approaching me from behind and spun around just before he tackled me back into the water.

"You still can't sneak up on me, Yuy," I teased as we wrestled in the foot deep water.

"I'll get you. Eventually," he responded, and I could actually see his wicked grin as I flipped him off of me and into the water.

I hadn't realized just how much I loved his smile until I could no longer see it. But now that I had my sight back, I could appreciate it so much more.

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**So? Is that a better ending? I kinda like it... Anyway, thanks for reading and please review.**

**So I'm not really working on anything right now. My friend has Captured, and I'm kinda messing around with a drabble or two, but don't expect anything new from me for a while. One of my drabbles is actually becoming less of a drabble, so... we'll see XD Thanks again for reading.**


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